Peter J. Weisberg* § Expected shifts in the upper forest limit of many mountain ranges due to anthropogenic Oleksandra Shandra †# and climate change will likely be constrained by current and historical land-use practices. We Miles E. Becker* ‡ used historical maps and Landsat satellite imagery to analyze timberline change for the *Department of Natural Resources and entire Carpathian range in Eastern Europe. Our objectives were (1) to compare 19th and Environmental Science, University of 20th century timberline elevations across regions differing in sociopolitical history and Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia land-use trends; and (2) to quantify how land-use patterns and environmental influences Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, U.S.A. were associated with changes in timberline position. Timberline changes across geopoliti- †Department of Climatic Research and cal regions were consistent with regional variations in re-settlement rates and population Long-Range Forecasting, Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the shifts following World War II. Important predictors for timberline rise were the mainly Ukrainian Academy of Science, 37 Nauki biophysical factors of slope steepness, timberline elevation, shrub cover, topographic cur-Av, Kyiv, Ukraine 03028 vature, aspect, and proximity to roads. For horizontal migration, important predictors were ‡Ecology, Evolution and Conservation proximity to shepherd's huts, elevation, population density, forest composition, and shrub Biology graduate program, University of cover. Overall, cultural influences were critical for understanding the response of Carpa-Nevada, Reno,