Recreationally created footpaths as a means of preserving specific biotopes of bare sand accumulations: Evidence provided by dendrogeomorphic reconstruction

Abstract

The combination of accumulation and erosion processes is the dominant geomorphic agent forming the surface of bare sand accumulations. These unique biotopes are gradually vanishing; thus, knowledge of their past dynamics is of crucial interest. This study focused on a selected locality with bare sand in the Borská Lowland (Slovakia).In total, nine buried individuals of Pinus sylvestris (L.) were used for the reconstruction