Exploatation of sulphur very devastated terrains, which after recultivation were established. There were 3 directions of recultivation and namely: forest, grassland and water. On the forest recultivation the next trees were planted: Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Quercus rubra and forest mixed. Today the forests on recultivation areas are about 20 years old. In June 2013 year was made assessment of state post recultivation establishment. It was found, that forests grow well and renaturalize slowly. The most plant species appeared spontaneously in the Birch stand tree and least in Pine stand trees. Beside the planted trees grow also no planted for example: Populus tremula, Acer pseudoplatanus, Quercus robor, Fraxinus excelsior, Robinia pseudoacacia, Tilia cordata and other. The forest condition is good. More renaturalized are grasslands, which were sown. Their botanical composition is similar to the natural grasslands which were no devastated by sulphur exploitation. In the result of recultivation on mention area there are water reservoirs in which there are fishes an avifauna. They ornament also landscape and enrich biodiversity of environment. General conclusion: recultivation restored environment to the natural state.

The aim of this study was to determine historical and dendrological values and to present the results of a detailed tree inventory of linden alley in Nadrybie, Puchaczów commune. This alley is an only remnant of the old center court existing in this area in the nineteenth century. The estate was property of the Bogdanowicz family for 111 years. On the basis of results of the inventory, an application for recognition of the linden alley as a natural monument was placed.

The paper presents an analysis and evaluation of the procedure of issuing decisions about the environmental conditionings with an assessment of their environmental impact. The estimation of environmental impact is meant as an administrative procedure concerning a planned project, in the framework of which and administrative body ensures a possibility of public participation in the conducted proceedings. An assessment of the environmental impact is conducted for planned projects which may considerably affect the environment, i.e. planned enterprises which may always considerably impact the environment or planned projects which may potentially influence the environment, if the appropriate body states the necessity of conducting such assessment. The same principles concerning the share of the parties apply to all proceedings, which require an estimation of the environmental impact. Also ecological organizations, if they express their willingness to enter for the proceedings of issuing decisions about the environmental conditionings ensuring public participation and cite their statutory objectives, are party to the proceedings. The key element of the assessment of the environmental impact is the report on the project effect on the environment, which constitutes the basic source of information for the body which conducts the assessment of the environmental impact, about its effect on the environment at the stage of its realization, exploitation (use) and liquidation. The final decision and the kind of environmental conditionings imposed on the investor, depend on the quality and precision of the data the report contains. It makes possible initiating the public consultations. Comments and reservations expressed during public consultations should be examined prior to issuing the decision about the environmental conditionings. An element of the environmental impact assessment is coordination of the conditions of the project realization by the regional director of the environmental protection, who takes a position in the decision and the sanitary inspection body which given an opinion about the environmental conditionings of the project. The decision is announced to the public opinion and all interested parties have the right to learn its content, including the decision of the regional director of the environment protection and opinion of the sanitary inspection body. In conclusion it may be stated that the procedure with the evaluation of the environmental impact undoubtedly lengthens the investment process but is a significant instrument of the protection of natural resources.

At the work an evaluation of causes of the moistening of basement walls of a building “Dworek” of the University of Agriculture in Kraków was presented and preventive measures were suggested. The scope of research works included field investigation for recognizing the structure of foundations and laboratory tests of geotechnical properties of the substratum soils. It was stated that the moisture appearing on basement walls as well as plaster flaking were a result of a sloppy execution of the damp proofing, and precipitation water is a main cause of their moistening. As the solution, there was suggested execution of the horizontal damp-proofing and tight paving the surface of the area in front of the wall of the premises in order to move away the zone of the infiltration of the precipitation waters.

The work presents results of research on technical and geotechnical conditions of foundations of “Budynek inwentarski” and “Spichlerz”, buildings of the University of Agriculture in Kraków, for needs of planning their reconstruction and adaptation for educational purposes. Conducted research showed that the buildings were founded on continuous footings, on compacted or well-compacted sandy soils below the depth of freezing. The conducted evaluation of the bearing capacity of the substratum allows to forecast safe bearing additional influences which will rise as a result of the reconstruction and adaptation of both buildings.

Along the paper the problems connected with fine and coarse woody debris in rovers are described. Especially last years many papers appear in Polish and international literature covering that subject. Thus, the paper aims in getting acquainted the reader with the woody debris problems in mountain and lowland rivers. Parallel in the paper two case studies are presented, respectively from mountain and lowland river when some hydrodynamical parameters were measured and analyzed. The obtained results show that woody debris has the influence on changes of the values of hydrodynamics parameters within river channel. Case studies were run on the Warta River (lowland river) and the Raba River (mountain river).

The field of preservation monuments represents various different methods, all dependent on the type of monuments to be preserved and the scope of work. One of the most aggressive methods, used to protect the monuments against flooding (especially during construction of large water dams), is the relocation method. The relocation of The Abu Simbel Temples complex was used during the construction of The New Aswan Dam. In this case, it was a much more complex and complicated project. To insert the relocated Temples into their new location, the architects were forced to create an artificial landscape. The object, an artificial mount was created at the same time as the Temples complex was relocated. Both the construction of the artificial mount and the relocation of the Temples complex were done simultaneously and with great precision. The new Aswan Dam project demanded interdisciplinary solutions to met the goals of saving the Temples complex. The team of international experts was found solution for the following issues: in construction of water dams, preservation monuments and the creation of landscape.

Important elements of the contemporary cultural landscape of central part of Mazovia, especially its central and northern parts are remains of Dutch settlements, and in particular rural systems and remains of Dutch farms. Those farms were organized differently than in a typical farmstead Mazovia. Locating of farm buildings and roads connecting the various farms on upland terrain – natural or artificial frequently (called trep and trytfa) deserve on special attention. Those structure which were connected with colonies localized near the rivers are clearly visible even today. The langloff houses are very interesting and valuable. Those house combined several functions and that’s why were very magnificent and pointed out. A typical feature for Dutch farm was also the order of the gardens: orchard, vegetable gardens and ornamental gardens. Another element typical of Mennonite settlement was the use of trees as part of anti-flood damage. The rows of head-off willows (Salix alba and S. fragilis), sometimes poplars (Populus alba) are still well visible in all Mazovia. These plantings were accompanied by roads, bounds, drainage ditch. The fascines hurdles were very often used between individual trees in this row. These elements are still visible. However, as a result of uncontrolled spatial planning and garden fashions these elements are exposed to destruction. Dutch heritage is still very importaint in structures of Mazovian cultural landscape and that is why each element of this heritage deserves attention and protection.

The paper aimed at the determination of the influence of saturation on compressibility of minestone from the Rydułtowy-Anna mine an its mixtures with 10, 20 and 30% (by weight) additive of fly ash from the power plant Skawina S.A. The tests were carried out in a medium-size oedometer (d = h = 374 mm), on the samples formed at the optimum moisture content and the compaction index I_s = 0.95, saturated before loading. The results of previous tests conducted on the same but non-saturated samples were taken into consideration in the analysis of the obtained data. It was stated, that the compressibility of the tested materials was relatively small, and in the case of the mixtures clearly depended on the fly ash additive and water conditions. The assessment of the usability of the tested materials for earth structures was also performed.

The analysis of slope stability of slope Piekarówka localized in Pławna near Cieżkowice is presented in the paper. In the slope in June of 2010 as a consequence of intensive rainfall was induced mud flow which was stopped on buildings located below the landslide. In the frame of investigation were done in-situ, laboratory tests and were done integrated infiltration and slope stability calculations. Field and laboratory tests revealed that the landslide movement was limited to superficial layer of slope, which was built of cohesive soils of low permeability. Infiltration calculations made using MontrasioValentino and Green-Ampt models gave varied due to quality as well as quantity, results of progress of infiltration process. In considered case more negative calculation results were determined using Montrasio-Valentino model. Stability analysis revealed that a necessary condition for the initiation of instability process was saturation of superficial slope layer and increase of seepage forces.