Observed changes in vegetation in relation to climate warming

The authors analyse the changes in forest vegetation in the north and south of the Alps by comparing 300 vegetation relevès of the forties and sixties with more recent relevès of the nineties. The resulting changes in the species compositions and the vegetation structures can be explained with various factors one of which is the milder winter climate of the last three decades.

With this example, the connection between similar bioclimates and the concept of the "chorological tension", some prognoses of the laurophyllisation in western Eurasia and their consequences for the practical implementation and for scientific conclusions are explained.