ABSTRACT
Crucial for the mega-site phenomenon that occurs in Central Ukraine in the 4th millennium BCE is the human impact of the Trypillia settlers on the former vegetation cover. The sub-continental forest and forest steppe environment still comprises oak-hornbeam and oak woodlands. The limiting factor for the development of old-growth deciduous woodlands in a forest steppe environment is the soil water balance in the summer months, because the woodlands have higher water consumption than grasslands and young trees. At this stage of investigation, this may be carefully interpreted as a sign of overexploitation of the semi-arid forest steppe environment. It illustrates that the climate of Central Asia was clearly connected to Eastern European climate change, but it is of limited value for the Central Ukraine since it is situated more than 1000 km to the East of Uman. It indicates a shift from forest-dominated vegetation towards a more open steppe environment in the first half of the 4th millennium BCE.
