Conference proceedings - Zbornik Radova[1].pdf - Univerzitet u ...

greenhouse effect, climate changes and danger of erosion emerge. Inpresent day, when it comes to land, accent is given to tackling theproblem of profitable use, determining the potential of agriculturalland as requirement for available production and human capital inproduction process of food and other commodities, along withrespect for ecologic requirements and landscape protection andpreservation of rural settlements trough higher employment inagricultural and forestry sector.METHODOLOGYIssue of optimizing the distribution of stock of land betweenagriculture, forestry and other sectors, where the land is an importantfactor is current, and it has been since mankind started interferingwith landscape and evolution of nature. In Slovakia in the prehistoricperiod forests covered most of its territory. With progressingsettlement primary vegetation was substituted with secondary,mostly agricultural communities that served the purpose of ensuringfood supply and other necessary commodities produced from plants.This process is accessory to evolution of mankind, which can meetthe constantly growing demand only by the means of intensificationin bioproduction of arable crops.Continuous elimination of ground vegetation, its substitutionwith arable crops result in unfavorable effects as well, which notonly do not ensure increase of bioproduction, on the contrary theycan result in decrease. Among these unfavorable effects aredegradation and devastation of nature and decrease in land fertility.Ultimate and very striking phase of this degradation are barrens.Revitalization of lands like this has been solved mostly by the meansof forestation.Effort in reforestation of degraded land and non-forest land haslong lasting tradition in Slovakia. Beginnings in afforestation dateback to 17 th century, when aeolian soil was forested. In the period of1 st Czechoslovakian republic in years 1937-39 approximately 350hectares was afforested annually. The most extensive activities inforestation of land on our territory were enforced after adoption ofGeneral Development Plan for Agriculture, Forestry and Water~ 338 ~