Reconstructing forest history from archaeological data: A case study in the Duero basin assessing the origin of controversial forests and the loss of tree populations of great biogeographical interest

Hernández, Laura; Rubiales, Juan Manuel; Morales‐Molino, César; Romero, Fernando; Sanz, Carlos Mallench; Manzaneque, Fernando Gómez

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2010.12.033

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The presence of the maritime pine in the Tierra de Pinares area since at least 6000 cal. yr BP constitutes definitive proof of its autochthony, which was previously suggested on the basis of palaeobotanical (Franco-Mugica et al, 2005;García-Antón et al, 2011;Hernández et al, 2011), historical (Calonge, 2003;Gil, 1991Gil, , 2008 and geobotanical data (Costa et al, 1997;Font Quer, 1954). The evidence contradicts the opinion expressed by several phytosociologists who assumed an artificial origin (Navarro and Valle, 1987) or a limited importance with respect to the 'potential natural vegetation ' (Rivas Martinez, 1987) for these pine forests.…”

Section: Long-term Stability Of Pinus Pinaster Forests In the Duero Bsupporting

confidence: 59%

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Long-term persistence of Mediterranean pine forests in the Duero Basin (central Spain) during the Holocene: The case of Pinus pinaster Aiton

et al. 2011

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In the southern Duero Basin of central Spain, there are vast areas of aeolian sand sheets and dune fields. A comprehensive survey of the sand quarries in this area identified a number of palaeosols in sedimentary sequences. The identification and AMS radiocarbon dating of soil charcoal fragments collected in these palaeosols indicate the persistence of Pinus pinaster in this area throughout most of the Holocene. Although potential natural vegetation models have usually considered the Pinus pinaster forests in this inland area of artificial origin, soil charcoal analysis provides firm evidence of a natural origin. Our data fit perfectly with the pattern of Holocene vegetation development for inland areas of Iberia, which are characterised by stability of pine forests throughout the Holocene. Finally, the growing body of palaeobotanical evidence from Iberia (macrofossils and pollen) is contributing to improve our knowledge of P. pinaster ecology, showing that this species has been present in most Iberian regions during the Holocene, where it has inhabited areas characterised by a very diverse set of climatic and soil conditions.

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Section: Long-term Stability Of Pinus Pinaster Forests In the Duero Bsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…yr BP (Alcalde et al, 2004). Similarly, Hernández et al (2011) found an important number of charcoal fragments of P. pinaster and P. pinea in an Iron Age city located in the central Duero Basin. These promising results led us to carry out a comprehensive study of the soil charcoal in an extensive area of the inner Duero Basin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Long-term persistence of Mediterranean pine forests in the Duero Basin (central Spain) during the Holocene: The case of Pinus pinaster Aiton

et al. 2011

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“…sylvestris during a large part of the Holocene. Furthermore, the existence of a robust dataset of archaeobotanical data from other sites of northern Portugal (Figueiral and Carcaillet, 2005) and other isolated points at the inner section of the Duero basin (archaeological data dating to the Iron age and natural, living specimens, Hernandez et al, 2011) supports the idea that the distribution area of this group of pines has suffered a dramatic demise during the last millennia.…”

Section: The Fate Of Pines At the Late Holocene In Nw Iberia: Humansmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Furthermore, its potential as a pioneer species suggests it can be favoured after fire (Costa et al, 1997;Sevilla, 2008). Its tolerance to a moderate recurrence of fires has been suggested by long-term records in mountainous regions of Iberia (Stevenson, 2000;Morales-Molino et al, 2011), and a regression of other wellestablished forests (such as those of Quercus and/or Pinus) is usually correlated with the expansion of birch during the mid-and late Holocene (Allen et al, 1996;Munoz Sobrino et al, 1997). Birch may have also acted in the western corner of the Cantabrian area as a late successional tree, i.e., a role similar to that described for beech in the eastern Cantabrian Range (Munoz Sobrino et al, 2009).…”

Section: Impact Of Late Holocene Anthropogenic Activity On Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Holocene distribution of woody taxa at the westernmost limit of the Circumboreal/Mediterranean boundary: Evidence from wood remains

Rubiales

Ezquerra

Sobrino

et al. 2012

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Macrofossils and megafossils of different genera, which were found in twelve localities in the mountains of northwest Iberia, provide spatially precise evidence of their distribution in the region during the Holocene. Macrofossils were recovered from mires, eroded peat bogs and lakes, identified by their wood anatomy and dated using radiocarbon methods. Conifers (Pinus), deciduous trees (Betula, Salix, Quercus) and shrubs (Erica, Fabaceae) were identified. The findings of Pinus gr. sylvestris/nigra have special biogeographical significance. The available palaeoecological data from the Cantabrian Range and nearby mountains (Ancares and Courel) indicate that pines have grown during the Holocene over the highlands of the western part of the Cantabrian Range area as a natural vegetation element. Nevertheless, Pinus sylvestris is the only pine species that is currently present in the Cantabrian Mountains, and its natural distribution area is now limited to a few enclaves. In this study, we provide a number of conclusive findings demonstrating that the past distribution of Pinus gr. sylvestris/nigra in this region suffered an important range contraction during the last two millennia. Historical data also support this idea, as they strongly suggest that this species survived well into the historical period.

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“…forests in Spain and even though these forests resemble Scots pine forests in northern rocky areas, they constitute a different forest type with a contrasting historical and landscape context (e.g. Fule et al 2003;Rubiales et al 2007;Hernandez et al 2011;Camarero et al 2013;Ehnström and Bader 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocky pine forests in the High Coast Region in Sweden: structure, dynamics and history

Sandström¹,

Jonsson²

2020

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Almost all forests in Sweden are managed and only a small fraction are considered natural. One exception is low productive forests where, due to their limited economical value, natural dynamics still dominate. One example is the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests occurring on rocky and nutrient-poor hilltops. Although these forests represent a regionally common forest type with a high degree of naturalness, their dynamics, structure and history are poorly known. We investigated the structure, human impact and fire history in eight rocky pine forests in the High Coast Area in eastern Sweden, initially identified as good representatives of this forest type. This was done by sampling and measuring tree sizes, -ages, fire-scarred trees, as well as dead wood volumes and quality along three transects at each site. The structure was diverse with a sparse layer of trees (basal area 9 m2 and 640 trees larger than 10 cm ha-1) in various sizes and ages; 13 trees ha-1 were more than 300 years old. Dead wood (DW), snags and logs in all stages of decay, was present and although the actual DW (pine) volume (4.4 m3 ha-1) and number of units (53 ha-1) was low, the DW share of total wood volume was 18% on average. Dead wood can be present for several centuries after death; we found examples of both snags and logs that had been dead more than 300 years. Frequent fires have occurred, with an average cycle of 40 years between fires. Most fires occurred between 1500-1900 and many of them (13) during the 1600s. However, fires were probably small since most fire years were only represented at one site and often only in one or a few samples. The rocky pine forests in the High Coast Area are representative of undisturbed forests with low human impact, exhibiting old-growth characteristics and are valuable habitats for organisms connected to sun-exposed DW. Management of protected rocky pine forests may well include small-scale restoration fires and the limited DW volumes should be protected.

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Reconstructing forest history from archaeological data: A case study in the Duero basin assessing the origin of controversial forests and the loss of tree populations of great biogeographical interest

Cited by 14 publications

References 41 publications

Long-term persistence of Mediterranean pine forests in the Duero Basin (central Spain) during the Holocene: The case of Pinus pinaster Aiton

Long-term persistence of Mediterranean pine forests in the Duero Basin (central Spain) during the Holocene: The case of Pinus pinaster Aiton

Holocene distribution of woody taxa at the westernmost limit of the Circumboreal/Mediterranean boundary: Evidence from wood remains

Rocky pine forests in the High Coast Region in Sweden: structure, dynamics and history

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