Slovenian lowland forests have been under severe pressure since the times of first settlement. Since those were the most easily accessible forests over the past centuries which were frequently cleard by the settled communities, they represent today a mere 2 % of total forest area in Slovenia. They are composed largely of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), and common alder (Alnus glutinosa Mill.) and restricted only to smaller areas, when larger areas of these forests are found only in moist site less suited for agriculture. The most distinct floodplain forests are situated in the north-east of Slovenia and represent the north-western remnants of famous Slavonian oak forests. Other important oak-lowland forests are located in the south-east, situated between the highway Ljubljana-Zagreb and the Krka River.
