CHANGES IN THE WOODINESS OF RURAL AREAS IN POLANDIN THE YEARS 1995-2016

Abstract

The paper presents changes in the woodiness of rural areas in Poland in the years 1995-2016. Theanalysis was based on the Annual Geodesic Reports and the National Land Register. It was found that asa result of mainly afforestation of agricultural land and wasteland, the woodiness increased from 28.4%in 1995 to 30.6% in 2016. The rate of changes was spatially diversified, both at the level of voivodeshipand communes. Studies have shown progressive spatial concentration of forests in rural areas of Poland.A particularly high share of forest was observed in communes with a high woodiness index.

Keywords

• woodland
• woodiness
• agricultural land
• Poland