POST-SOCIALIST FOREST DISTURBANCE IN THE CARPATHIAN BORDER REGION OF POLAND, SLOVAKIA, AND UKRAINE.

The article discusses the impact of the political and economic transition on border region of Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. It compares post-socialist forest disturbance and assesses the effectiveness of protected areas in limiting these disturbances. Using the forest disturbance index from 1978 to 2000, results showed that harvesting was increased in three countries from 1988 to 1994, right after the system change. Moreover, harvests tended to occur at higher elevations in Ukraine while forest fragmentation had a significant increase in Slovakia and Ukraine than in Poland. It was concluded that the socioeconomic changes in Eastern Europe that happened since 1990 had significant effects on forest disturbance.