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A Technical Perspective in Modern Tree-ring Research - How to Overcome Dendroecological and Wood Anatomical Challenges
Published on: March 5, 2015
Europe's lost forests: a pollen-based synthesis for the last 11,000 years
N Roberts1, R M Fyfe2, J Woodbridge2
1School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, UK. C.N.Roberts@plymouth.ac.uk.
Scientific Reports
|January 17, 2018
Summary
Europe
Area of Science:
- Paleoecology
- Environmental History
- Quaternary Science
Background:
- Europe was predominantly forested 8,000 years ago before widespread agriculture.
- Human activities have progressively fragmented European forests, reducing cover by over 50%.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reconstruct historical forest cover changes in Europe using pollen data.
- To compare numerical methods for transforming pollen data into forest cover estimates.
Main Methods:
- Utilized over 1000 radiocarbon (14C)-dated pollen records.
- Employed and compared three distinct numerical approaches for forest cover reconstruction.
Main Results:
- Temperate mixed forests declined significantly since ~6000 years ago due to agricultural expansion.
- Northern boreal forests experienced later human impact (last 2000 years), retaining more extensive cover.
- Significant forest loss is a key feature of Europe's landscape ecology in the latter half of the current interglacial.
Conclusions:
- Reconstructions reveal differing historical trajectories for temperate and boreal forests.
- Long-term forest clearance for agriculture has reshaped Europe's landscape.
- Understanding past forest dynamics is crucial for current ecosystem functioning and biodiversity.
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