Pollen diagrams, based on sediments from four small mires on the eastern summits of the Jeseníky Mts (the Praděd-Altvater group) in the Sudetes, the Czech Republic, show the development of vegetation in the area since the Subboreal period (ca 4700 B.P.). Stands of Corylus avellana with Picea abies and some Tilia cf. platyphyllos covered the eastern summits of the Jeseníky Mts between ca 5000 and 3000 B.P. Corylus avellana probably played the same role as Pinus mugo, common at similar altitudes in other Sudetes ranges. Between ca 3000 and 500–400 B.P. Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba dominated the natural precultural forests at the present alpine forest limit. An admixture of Acer (cf. pseudoplatanus) and Ulmus (cf. glabra) is very probable. Human impact (mountain summer grazing, hay making, selective beech cutting) influenced the summit vegetation and lowered the natural forest line from the beginning of the 17th century. The planting of spruce started at the beginning of the 19th century and is well expressed in the pollen diagrams. No traces of Pinus mugo, documented by Pinus sylvestris type of pollen or macroscopic material, were found.
Pollen and macroscopic analyses of two Upper Holocene spring fen sites in the vicinity of the Turček village in the south-western foothills of the Kremnické vrchy Mts (central Slovakia) revealed new and unique information on the precultural and natural climazonal forests, and the origin and development of local meadow fen vegetation. Pollen-analytical data indicate the prevalence of natural spruce (Picea abies) and fir (Abies alba) forests in this region. The mixed beech forests depicted on the geobotanical map of Slovakia must have, therefore occupied much smaller areas than previously thought. After human colonization of the region during the 13th and 14th centuries natural forests were transformed mainly into grasslands and pastures, and to a lesser extent into arable fields. These changes were connected with gold and silver mining in the vicinity of the nearby town of Kremnica, with Turček one of the important areas producing timber for the mining industry. The development of these fen mires is also connected with deforestation and transformation of the landscape. They originated as forest springs but after human colonization of the area they were transformed into treeless fen meadows by the direct or indirect effect of man cutting of trees, grazing livestock and mowing.