Spatial and ownership structure of forests in Wielkopolska Voivodeship Cover Image

Zróżnicowanie powierzchniowe i własnościowe lasów województwa wielkopolskiego
Spatial and ownership structure of forests in Wielkopolska Voivodeship

Author(s): Piotr Gołojuch, Roman Jaszczak, Sandra Wajchman, Jakub Glura
Subject(s): Geography, Regional studies, Agriculture
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warmińsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie
Keywords: Wielkopolska;forests;forest cover;ownership structure;

Summary/Abstract: The objective of the studies performed by a team of research workers employed at the University of Life Sciences in Poznañ was to recognise forest variability in combination with the administrative division of our country. The goal of presented paper is to characterise spatial and ownership structure in communes and districts of Wielkopolska Voivodeship. Information obtained from the Local Data Bank of the Main Statistical Office (GUS) for year 2010 was used to conduct appropriate analyses. They were used to determine the forest area per one inhabitant as well as the basic statistical data. Furthermore, the above-mentioned information was also utilised to elaborate maps illustrating spatial distribution of basic characteristics. It was found that Wielkopolska Region – the second largest Voivodeship in Poland – occupied the third position with respect to forest resources in Poland. However, the significance of Wielkopolska forests with respect to the entire country is not the same in individual districts and communes of the Voivodeships. The total forest areas as well as the forest areas per capita, both at the level of communes and districts, are the highest in northern and western parts of Wielkopolska Voivodeship and very small in its southern regions. The performed analyses of ownership relations in Wielkopolska forests confirmed earlier investigations carried out by Polna (2003) and revealed a considerable domination of public ownership. Similarly as in the case of the entire country, in comparison with public ownership, commune forests play a negligible role, with the exception of towns with special district town charter. In Wielkopolska Voivodeship, private forests are found to occur on a much smaller scale in comparison with other parts of the country. It is evident from the analysis of spatial distribution that districts of the greatest importance of forest areas can be found, primarily, in eastern and southern parts of Wielkopolska.

  • Issue Year: 12/2013
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 15-26
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish