<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Estonia has joined the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy which obligates signatories to participate in developing the Pan-European Ecological Network. The plan "Environmental conditions for guiding settlement and land use" was initiated in all 15 counties of Estonia in 1999. One of the important subtopics of this plan is the "Green Network". The first thematic plans were validated in three counties in 2002. The last county to validate its Green Network thematic plan was Saare County in 2008. The Green Network of Estonia is supposed to complement the network of protected areas, combining them into a unified system of natural areas. One of the goals of the Estonian Green Network was to spatially incorporate the Natura 2000 sites as areas of European importance. Results demonstrated that in 10 of the 15 counties, this goal can be considered to have been achieved, as a minimum of 95% of the Natura 2000 sites within these counties have been incorporated into the Green Network. In three of the other counties about 90% have been incorporated, but in Võru and Valga counties, this percentage is much lower. In Võru, 75% of the Natura 2000 sites have been incorporated into the Green Network and in Valga only 60%. Therefore the revision of Green Network thematic plans should be considered in these counties.</abstract>

Distribution of the Green Network of Estonia

<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Crystalline bedrock and Quaternary sediments are the parent materials for soil, which is a substrate for plant roots and also a supplier of nutrients. Through interactions within the bedrock-soil-plant-animal-human beings system, bedrock geology and geochemistry influence all forms of life on the planet. There are 11 major elements or macronutrients that are nutritionally essential for plants and animals in constructing and maintaining cells and tissues, and up to 43 trace elements or micronutrients involved in the regulation of metabolic processes. Element concentrations in soils reflect those of parent rocks, but for healthy growth and development of plant and animal tissues there are very strict constraints on trace element concentrations. Chemical analysis of different organic materials shows that all forms of life, marine and terrestrial plants and animals, and bacteria consist of comparable proportions of the of macronutrients: O, H, C, N, P, S, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Cl, as well as trace elements. Some differences are noted in elements that are more available in sea water (Mg, I, Br, Sr, Fe, Pb) or are essential for life outside of water (terrestrial animals need more Ca and P for stronger skeletons, etc.). Limestone and dolostone of northern and central Estonia are rich in Ca and Mg, whereas the sandstones that predominate in southern Estonia consist mainly of quartz (SiO2) and contain very few nutrients. Glacial activity in Fennoscandia transported predominantly Si-rich granite rock material to Estonia, in which trace element concentrations are very low, as in the local bedrock. The bedrock geochemistry, Quaternary cover and their influence on vegetation in some selected areas in Fennoscandia and Estonia are discussed.</abstract>

Bedrock and Quaternary sediment geochemistry and biodiversity in Eastern Fennoscandia and Estonia

<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><italic>Lobaria pulmonaria</italic> is a conspicuous and widely known epiphytic lichen species which mainly occurs on mature hardwood trees in old forests. The distribution of <italic>L. pulmonaria</italic> has become highly fragmented, showing a decline across Europe. <italic>Lobaria pulmonaria</italic> is unevenly distributed among ca. 600 localities in Estonia. Most localities are in north-eastern and south-western Estonia (50% and 21% of records respectively). 86% of <italic>L. pulmonaria</italic> localities are in nature reserves, national parks or woodland key habitats (WKH). In 81% of historical localities known until 1992, <italic>L. pulmonaria</italic> could be considered extinct. 6% of <italic>L. pulmonaria</italic> localities have become destroyed in the period from 1993 to 2010 due to clear cutting; in 19% of localities the species could be considered endangered, as its neighbourhood is affected by forest management activities. 40% of destroyed localities are located in forests designated as WKHs in north-eastern Estonia, and most of the endangered populations are also within WKHs. In forest management and conservation planning, WKHs should be preserved with surrounding buffer areas in order to avoid abrupt changes in environmental condition and natural disturbance regimes. There is also a necessity to develop specific management methods to recover reforested wooded meadows, to ensure that species of semi-open habitats are retained, e.g. by reducing the density of spruce.</abstract>

Threatened forest lichen <italic>Lobaria pulmonaria</italic> - its past, present and future in Estonia

<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">We studied diversity and abundance of three groups of pollinators: bumblebees, butterflies and day-flying moths, in Ida-Viru County, Estonia. The field work was done during the summers of 2008 and 2009, in 22 semi-natural meadows located across Northeast Estonia. In total, we found 22 species of bumblebees (gen. <italic>Bombus</italic>), including 5 species of cuckoo bumblebees, 56 species of butterflies and 42 species of day-flying moths. We recorded 597 individuals of bumblebees, 768 individuals of butterflies and 330 individuals of day-flying moths in our study sites. We analysed differences between years (2008 and 2009) for the species richness and abundance of bumblebees, butterflies and day-flying moths; the relationships between insect species richness and area of meadow, the total number of species per meadow and the local abundance of each species separately. We found significant differences between bumblebee richness and abundance in 2008 and 2009, and between butterfly abundance at the same years. These differences may be due to more favourable conditions: warmer and dryer weather in the second year. We found no significant relationships between area of meadow and species richness of bumblebees, butterflies and day-flying moths; however, when we analysed the abundance of each species separately, we found that two species of bumblebees, i.e. <italic>B. pascuorum</italic> and <italic>B. schrencki</italic>, and one species of day-flying moths, i.e. <italic>Chiasmia clathrata</italic>, were negatively related with area of meadow. Although, Northeast Estonia is a region that has been environmentally affected by mining activities and the presence of power plants, it could be considered an important area that supports a significant richness and abundance of pollinators across its territory.</abstract>

Pollinator richness and abundance in Northeast Estonia: bumblebees, butterflies and day-flying moths

<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Fire cultivation is possibly the agricultural land-use method of the longest duration in Estonia; yet still it has attracted little attention from researchers. The aim of this paper is two-fold: firstly, to discuss the latest stage of historical bushland management via fire cultivation as it appears in historical sources, and secondly to look for ways in which the natural historical research methods can be combined with those of the humanities in search of more complex understanding of land-use dynamics. The material analysed are the 19th century agrarian laws and ethnographic data. These sources show that researchers have so far rather under- than overestimated the persistence and spread of fire use - a number of fire cultivation cases are reported even from the early 20th century from different parts of Estonia. Thus we suggest that bushland management with fire cultivation methods has continued longer than previously assumed. Analysis of the 19th century Livonian agrarian laws shows that legislation of the period directed the land-use pattern away from the earlier practice of a mosaic or scattered patchwork of wooded areas and cleared fields, towards bigger wooded areas and more compact cultivated areas, thus bringing about changes in the landscape.</abstract>

Estonian National Museum, Veski 32, Tartu, Estonia

Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, Tartu 50411, Estonia

Institute of History, University of Tallinn, Rüütli 6, Tallinn 10130, Estonia

Valga Museum, Vabaduse 8, Valga 68204, Valgamaa, Estonia

Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu 51014, Estonia

Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Lossi 3, Tartu, Estonia

Tracing fire cultivation in Estonia

<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">There is need for increased societal awareness of the importance of soil management for varying specific uses and for protection of the environment. The main purpose of the study was to analyze the role of soils in the formation and function of ecosystems, to elucidate the properties and mechanisms which play the main role in plant-soil mutual relationships, and to generalize the pedoecological principles of soil management and protection in conditions of Estonia. The treatment is a departure from the pedocentric viewpoint and is based on an ecosystem approach. The relationships between soil and plant covers are tested quantitatively on the basis of the ecosystems' phytoproductivity and fluxes of organic carbon, and qualitatively on the ground of humus forms and site types. On the basis of personal research and data available in literature, the constraints limiting soil cover functioning, the soil degradation features which occurred in actual time and the measures and activities for prevention of soil degradation are analyzed. Problems connected with biodiversity and soil environment protection ability as they relate to soil cover management and protection are discussed. For sustainable land use and to avoid deterioration of soil properties, the experience of local farmers, scientific research and monitoring of degradation features are needed. The soil cover is protected (or sustainable land use is attained) in circumstances when soil fertility and functioning is maintained adequately for the soil types' characteristics. Soil cover should be considered as a medium through which it is possible to improve the environmental status of the area.</abstract>

Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi Str. 1A, 51014 Tartu, Estonia

Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise Str. 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia

The management and protection of soil cover: an ecosystem approach

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Forestry Studies

 Forestry Studies | Metsanduslikud Uurimused is a peer-reviewed journal managed by the Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences. The journal publishes original research articles, reviews, technical reports and short communications. Papers are published in English or Estonian with English summary. Authors whose mother tongue is not English are strongly urged to have their manuscripts reviewed linguistically before submission. Submission of an article is understood to imply that the article is original and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. Manuscripts generally should not exceed 25 one-sided 1.5-spaced printed pages, including tables, illustrations, references and abstract. Reviews must not exceed 20 pages, technical reports 5 pages. The authors should aim to submit their work as concisely as possible and longer papers will be accepted under exceptional circumstances. Suitable manuscripts are considered by at least two independent referees before acceptance.   Why subscribe and read   the journal publishes research papers on all aspects of forestry (silviculture, dendrology, tree physiology and genetics, forest products, forest operation and techniques, forest economics and policy, etc.), and also close subjects (environmental protection, ecology, botany, zoology, entomology, pathology, soil science, etc.),  the journal is published twice a year in paper and electronic versions,  peer reviewed journal by experts from Europe and US,  publishing history since 1939.   Why submit   submissions accepted in a wide range of categories: original research articles, reviews, technical reports and short communications,  rapid review (by two independent referees) and fast editing process,  coverage by major abstracting and indexing services,  publishing without charge,  accessibility through MetaPress platform.   Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 