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Peatlands are important records of past environmental changes. Based on a multiproxy analysis, the main factors influencing the evolution of a peatland can be divided into autogenic and allogenic. Among the important allogenic factors, apart from climate change, are deforestation and drainage, which are directly associated with human impact. Numerous consequences arise from these processes, the most important of which are physical and chemical denudation in the catchment and the related hydrological disturbances in the catchment and peatland. The present study determined how human activities and the past climatic variability mutually influenced the development of a small peatland ecosystem. The main goals of the study were: (1) to trace the local changes of the peatland history over the past 600 years, (2) to investigate their relationship with changes in regional hydroclimate patterns, and (3) to estimate the sensitivity of a small peatland to natural and human impact. Our reconstructions were based on a multiproxy analysis, including the analysis of pollen, macrofossils, Chironomidae, Cladocera, and testate amoebae. Our results showed that, depending on the changes in water level, the history of peatland can be divided into three phases as follows: 1/the phase of stable natural conditions, 2/phase of weak changes, and 3/phase of significant changes in the catchment. Additionally, to better understand the importance of the size of catchment and the size of the depositional basin in the evolution of the studied peatland ecosystem, we compared data from two peatlands – large and small – located close to each other. The results of our study indicated that “size matters,” and that larger peatlands are much more resilient and resistant to rapid changes occurring in the direct catchment due to human activities, whereas small peatlands are more sensitive and perfect as archives of environmental changes.

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The quantification of human impacts on past forest ecosystems becomes more challenging as one goes deeper into the past. This is primarily due to a scarcity of appropriate source material. It is well known that the inclusion of the Polish lands in the zone of economic ties with Western Europe at the end of the 15th century enabled intensive export of cereal and forest products. In this paper, we have used place names established before 1600 to demonstrate how ancient forests were exploited. By analyzing the naming material, we distinguished three basic types of names related to logging, industrial production, and beekeeping. In addition, we have included several theoretical considerations related to the environmental consequences of forest exploitation. Thus, our article provides a strong basis for further research into the environmental effects of past landscape changes.

The quantification of human impacts on past forest ecosystems becomes more challenging as one goes deeper into the past. This is primarily due to a scarcity of appropriate source material. It is well known that the inclusion of the Polish lands in the zone of economic ties with Western Europe at the end of the 15th century enabled intensive export of cereal and forest products. In this paper, we have used place names established before 1600 to demonstrate how ancient forests were exploited. By analyzing the naming material, we distinguished three basic types of names related to logging, industrial production, and beekeeping. In addition, we have included several theoretical considerations related to the environmental consequences of forest exploitation. Thus, our article provides a strong basis for further research into the environmental effects of past landscape changes.