WORKING GROUP 5 
RASMUSSON 
291 
Fig. 6. Map sequence showing the diminishing heath area (white) 1938-1955-1960. 
crease of naked sand areas results from military activity as well as natural 
processes along the shoreline. Through the three stages we can follow how a 
sand bar is added to the former shoreline, resulting in a shore better suited 
for bathing purposes. 
One of the chief points of this study is to show how rapidly the heath area, 
with its unique vegetation, diminishes. This was easily done with the aid of 
the air photos from 1938, 1955 and 1960. A map sequence showing the shrink 
ing heath area is reproduced in fig. 6. In 1938 its acreage was still as great as 
600 hectares, shrinking to about 425 hectares in 1955, and in 1960 to only 275 
hectares. The heath today is restricted chiefly to the central field. Apart from 
that area, the small spots which still have wet heath communities are rapidly 
disappearing as they are not grazed. Thus 325 hectares of heath vegetation 
have disappeared from 1938 to 1960. Forests now occupy more than one third 
of this area or 120 hectares, while about one quarter or 85 hectares are built 
up areas, though to a high degree still forest covered. The rest of the lost heath 
area is used as a military training field (45 hectares), a camping ground (40 
hectares) and as a golf course (35 hectares). Other purposes for which the 
former heath is used are roads, speedway, dumping place and pipeline for 
water. Examples of all those changes are put together in fig. 7 in the form of 
eight detail areas, where the status of each area in 1938 and 1960 can be 
compared. 
Finally, we shall pay attention to those elements of natural and cultural 
origin that can be seen on the heath. Fortunately it is one of the best parts of 
the heath that still remains intact. Some typical vegetation communities here 
are Calluna-Carex arenaria-Empetrum and Erica tetralix-Cladonia on the ridges, 
Rhynchospora fusca and Litorella uniflora associations in the depressions and 
Myrica-Molinia in a zone between them. 
In fig. 8a we see regular sand bars with intervening depressions. The upper 
half has not been grazed for a long time, which is why bushes and trees have 
grown up. The texture of different vegetation communities is much more 
distinct here, where the light colour on the ridges indicates much Molinia, a