Flash flood; Regional reconstruction; Dendrogeomorphology; Flysch

Dangerous overland flood events in the foothills of the flysch Carpathians often result from a cumulative effect of floods in high-gradient channels. Detailed understanding of the origin of floods in these catchments is only possible if the occurrence of these floods in the past has thoroughly been studied. Yet, no gauging stations can be found in the local catchments. The reconstruction of floods in ungauged catchments has so far been performed using dendrogeomorphicmethods. Stems or branches floating in the floodwater can affect stemsor roots of living trees and injure them. Trees are able to record these signals in their tree-ring series. Within the flysch Carpathians, the floods have been reconstructed based on the analysis of 446 cross sections from scarred tree roots and 192 increment cores fromthe stems of affected trees in the studied area of 10 catchments surrounding the highest peak of theMoravskoslezské Beskydy Mts, the Lysá hora Mt.