Environmental implications of past socioeconomic events in Greater Poland during the last 1200 years. Synthesis of paleoecological and historical data

Czerwiński, Sambor; Guzowski, Piotr; Lamentowicz, Mariusz; Gałka, Mariusz; Karpińska‐Kołaczek, Monika; Poniat, Radosław; Łokas, Edyta; Diaconu, Andrei‐Cosmin; Schwarzer, Johanna; Miecznik, Magdalena; Kołaczek, Piotr

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106902

Cited by 27 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Paleoecological records support the notion of fire as a humanmediated phenomenon over most of temperate Europe. Charcoal influx in sediments from forests in the region has been shown to correlate with anthropogenic indicators, such as pollen of cultivated plants or spores of coprophilous fungi (Bradshaw and Lindbladh, 2005;Tinner et al, 2005;Pe ¸dziszewska and Latałowa, 2016;Czerwiński et al, 2021). Well-preserved oldgrowth woodlands with primary character such as Białowieża Forest also show signs of long-term human impact (Samojlik et al, 2013;Latałowa et al, 2015Latałowa et al, , 2016Leuschner and Ellenberg, 2017a;Zimny et al, 2017;Jaroszewicz et al, 2019).…”

Section: Fire Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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First Spatial Reconstruction of Past Fires in Temperate Europe Suggests Large Variability of Fire Sizes and an Important Role of Human-Related Ignitions

et al. 2022

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The spatial component of past forest fires in temperate Europe has been little studied, despite the value of such data in quantifying human and natural factors driving fire activity and associated forest dynamics. Changes in fire regimes reported across a range of ecosystems call for a better understanding of variability in historic fires and may help define reference points that can be relied upon when discussing climate change effects. We provide the first dendrochronological reconstruction of historical fire sizes in Central Europe and analyze the minimum extent of fires during the last four centuries in a 9.2 km2 (920 ha) conifer-dominated section of Białowieża Forest, one of the largest continuous lowland forests of the subcontinent. We recorded 82 fires between 1666 and 1946, using 275 sample trees, while 92% of fires (76 out of 82) spread beyond the studied area. Fires varied considerably in size, from events recorded at only one site (1–200 ha) to fires recorded in more than half of the studied area, thus exceeding 500 ha in size. The fire cycle was 11 years over the whole study period, with three distinct periods revealed by the regime shift analysis. In the years 1670–1750, the fire cycle averaged 12 years. It shortened to 7 years between 1755–1840 and increased to 22 years over the 1845–1955 period. In comparison with present day data, the reconstructed fire density of 3.2 fires per 100 km2 (10 000 ha) and year exceeded lightning ignition density by one to two orders of magnitude, suggesting a significant contribution of human-related ignitions. Our results highlight the important role of fire disturbance in Białowieża Forest and provide critical baseline information to design biological conservation strategies for European forests.

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Section: Fire Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We propose that to explore causes and mechanisms behind the recorded changes in fire activity in Białowieża Forest in even greater detail, a larger sampling area should be considered and further, parallel research in historical and paleoecological archives should be continued (cf. Latałowa et al, 2015;Czerwiński et al, 2021).…”

Section: Fire Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

First Spatial Reconstruction of Past Fires in Temperate Europe Suggests Large Variability of Fire Sizes and an Important Role of Human-Related Ignitions

et al. 2022

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“…The answer was in fact to be found in the "voice of nature", a fine-grained reconstruction of the local landscape based on pollen analysis of peat sediments (Czerwiński et al 2021). Here, the major watershed very clearly occurred in the middle of the century, in the 1650s, and it was an abrupt process which relieved the landscape of most of the human pressure and allowed for a re-wilding, including a major regrowth of pine forests.…”

Section: The Fourth Answer: History As Social Critiquementioning

confidence: 99%

What Stories Should Historians Be Telling at the Dawn of the Anthropocene?

Izdebski

2022

Risk, Systems and Decisions

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This chapter discusses the ways in which history can contribute to coping with the current planetary crisis. It argues that historians should engage more in interdisciplinary exchange across the humanities-natural sciences divide. Thus they will be able to create historical narratives fitting for the Anthropocene—both in terms of explaining it and shaping our responses to it, in particular to the acute planetary crisis that marks its advent. At the same time, history should not give up its drive to critically dissect and analyse socio-political, economic, cultural and ecological change, contributing to developing balanced and resilient public policy.

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“…The establishment of new legal order (the right of peasants to use the land and to pay tributes in the form of crops or rents) and the implementation of a completely new spatial organization of medieval villages (concentration of previously dispersed settlements) and occupying previously pristine areas enabled signi cant economic development at that time 32 . The institution of German law further favored technological changes including the open elds system that has contributed to accelerated deforestation, expansion of arable land and introduction of crop rotation 31,[33][34][35][36] . Together, these developments fostered agriculture and forced major changes in the structure of the landscape.…”

Section: Low Human Impact Phase (1000 Ad Until 1350 Ad)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of Medieval road operation on cultural landscape transformation

Słowiński

Brauer

Guzowski

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Connecting pathways are essential for cultural and economic exchange and play an important role in human life. Commonly, historians investigate the role of routes for cultural development, whereas the environmental consequences of historical route construction attract less attention. Here we present, for the first time, a high-resolution reconstruction of the impact of the major trade route via Marchionis in the southern Baltic lowlands on landscape evolution since its construction more than 800 years ago. We utilize precisely dated annually laminated lake sediments from Lake Czechowskie located alongside Via Marchionis to establish multiproxy data at 5-year resolution for an integrated interpretation with historical data. The transformation from a quasi-natural to a cultural landscape was promoted by the operation of Via Marchionis and occurred in three main phases. Superimposed on the long-term development were repeated interruptions by short-term downturns related to societal crisis caused by wars and partly overlapping with climatic deterioration.

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Environmental implications of past socioeconomic events in Greater Poland during the last 1200 years. Synthesis of paleoecological and historical data

Cited by 27 publications

References 69 publications

First Spatial Reconstruction of Past Fires in Temperate Europe Suggests Large Variability of Fire Sizes and an Important Role of Human-Related Ignitions

First Spatial Reconstruction of Past Fires in Temperate Europe Suggests Large Variability of Fire Sizes and an Important Role of Human-Related Ignitions

What Stories Should Historians Be Telling at the Dawn of the Anthropocene?

The role of Medieval road operation on cultural landscape transformation

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