Pollen evidence of Saami settlement and reindeer herding in the boreal forest of northernmost Sweden—an example of modern pollen rain studies as an aid in the interpretation of marginal human interference from fossil pollen data

Aronsson, Kjell‐Åke

doi:10.1016/0034-6667(94)90018-3

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…One possibility is that disturbances could have been caused by prehistoric hunter‐gatherers, who probably visited the area on a regular basis in their mobile use of natural resources (Mulk 1994). The occurrence of Rumex supports the interpretation that the site was extensively used by humans (Behre 1988; Hicks 1988; Aronsson 1994), as does the presence of Artemisia (Hoeg 1975). The disturbances during this period also ended the domination of the forest floor by Ericaceous species, and lichens may well have become dominant at this time.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 62%

The genesis of two Picea–Cladina forests in northern Sweden

et al. 1999

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Summary1 In northern Fennoscandia a rare forest type, characterized by Cladina species and Picea abies, occurs on dry productive sites outside the range of permafrost but close to the Scandes mountains. 2 We determined the history of vegetation development and disturbance of two Picea±Cladina forests to test the hypothesis that this forest type has a natural origin.3 We used a combination of several retrospective vegetation history and archaeological methods, i.e. the analysis of pollen, macroscopic charcoal, dendroecological data, written historical sources, maps and ancient remains. 4 The results suggest that the Picea±Cladina forests investigated are not the products of purely natural factors. 5 Under the in¯uence of harsh climatic conditions and anthropogenic impact, mainly by repeated ®res, grazing, trampling and probably also selective cutting of Pinus, mixed coniferous forests, dominated by feather mosses and dwarf shrubs, may have evolved into the Picea±Cladina type. 6 Repeated anthropogenic use of ®re, already established c. 2000 years ago, may have been used to create lichen-dominated areas, initially to attract game but later to improve winter grazing resources for reindeer. This ®nding contradicts the general view that Saami nomads did not use ®re to alter forest vegetation.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 62%

The genesis of two Picea–Cladina forests in northern Sweden

et al. 1999

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“…These species are commonly used as indicators of human influence (Aronsson, 1994;Hicks, 1993;Hicks and Birks, 1996;Räsänen, 2001;Schofield et al, 2007). However, these pollen types were found scattered throughout the zone.…”

Section: Human Impact At the Stállo Settlement Sites And At The Refermentioning

confidence: 97%

A thousand years of human impact in the northern Scandinavian mountain range: Long-lasting effects on forest lines and vegetation

2010

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The vegetation history has been examined by pollen, microscopic and macroscopic charcoal analyses in the vicinity of two alpine Stállo settlement sites and one forested 'Reference area' with no settlement remains in northwestern Sweden in the northern part of the Scandinavian mountain range. The acquired data provide indications of the effects of human activities on local vegetation during the settlement phase, and on ecological processes in both long-and short-term perspectives. The results show that one settlement site, Gieddeålge, was established just above the forest line in the Betula treeline zone, and the other, Varenodjukke, in the Betula forest. At Gieddeålge an increase in herbs and graminoids appears to have occurred c. 700 cal. BP (during the thirteenth century) suggesting that the vegetation was altered by nutrient addition, most likely related to human activities associated with the settlement. At Varenodjukke, the Betula trees around the settlement were cut down and the site developed into an alpine heath dominated by Betula nana, which still characterizes the site today. In the Reference area evidence of changes to the vegetation probably caused by human impact was also found from c. 3500 to 700 cal. BP. In conclusion, the vegetation currently present at Gieddeålge and Varenodjukke has been strongly influenced by previous human activities, which have clearly had profound effects, both short and long term, on the composition of the vegetation and the properties of the ecosystems in these areas. Further, when studying processes, such as anticipated global warming that will influence future patterns of vegetation in these forest-line areas, legacies of land use must be taken into consideration.

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“…Reindeer husbandry to a large degree maintains a land-use culture that has survived for ca. 1000 years (Aronsson, 1994;Andersen, 2011), and makes use of available natural resources in a sustainable way (Rautio et al, 2016).…”

Section: Term Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%