Divergent fire history trajectories in Central European temperate forests revealed a pronounced influence of broadleaved trees on fire dynamics

Bobek, Přemysl; Svobodová-Svitavská, Helena; Pokorný, Petr; Šamonil, Pavel; Kuneš, Petr; Kozáková, Radka; Abrahám, Vojtěch; Klinerová, Tereza; Švarcová, Markéta; Jamrichová, Eva; Krauseová, Eva; Wild, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105865

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…The charcoal composite curve clearly indicates the occurrence of fires dating back to the Bronze Age, namely in the periods 3300-3000 and 4000-3700 cal yr BP. This pattern contradicts the known fire history reconstructions from mountainous areas in Bohemia (Bobek et al, 2018(Bobek et al, , 2019Carter et al, 2018b), which show almost no fire activity from -6200 cal yr BP up to the Early Medieval. As the occurrence of fire is driven mainly by the high proportion of conifers in the vegetation (Feurdean et al, 2020), we can reasonably expect low fire activity in the periods when the zonal vegetation was dominated by broadleaved trees.…”

Section: Anthropogenic Use Of Firecontrasting

confidence: 85%

“…The upper mountain forest zone and margins of bogs are dominated by natural Picea abies stands (Chytrý, 2012). The vegetation development and fire history is well known thanks to a dense network of pollen sites (Carter et al, 2018a;Jankovská, 2006;Rüther and Nelle, 2006;Stalling, 1987;Svobodová et al, 2001Svobodová et al, , 2002van der Knaap et al, 2020) and an increasing number of charcoal records (Bobek et al, 2019;Carter et al, 2018b). Šumava and the Bavarian Forest with Czech (dark green dots) and Bavarian (light green dots) pollen sites, charcoal sites (black dots), main trade routes: (a) Bohemian route, (b) smuggling branch of the Golden Trail, (c) three branches of the Golden Trail); archaeological evidence in the central part of the mountains (archaeological periods expressed by the same colours as in Figure 2); non-settlement/solitary find (cross), settlement (triangle).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The prehistory and early history of the Šumava Mountains (Czech Republic) as seen through anthropogenic pollen indicators and charcoal data

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In the lower forested mountain ranges of Europe, human impact on nature is usually confined to the written history of the Middle Ages. Our research in the Šumava mountains aims to specify the nature and intensity of human impact on vegetation, especially during agricultural prehistory. We use results from a multidisciplinary study of the unique La Tène archaeological site in the Sklářské Valley (elevation 802 m a.s.l.) and from a pollen and charcoal record 60 m away. With knowledge of this reference site we focus on the meaning of anthropogenic pollen indicators in 13 other pollen sites from central Šumava. From ca 3300 cal yr BP we detect an increase in NAP, Betula, Pinus and secondary anthropogenic indicators in pollen records – vegetation changes of anthropogenic origin. Charcoal records show a significant peak around 3200 cal yr BP. We found weak anthropogenic influence on the La Tène archaeological site in the Sklářské Valley, and much stronger anthropogenic pollen signals at other pollen sites dated to the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. Some of these sites are situated on trade routes which have been known since Medieval times but which most likely have much older origins. During prehistory, pollen data reveal no specific human activity such as pasturing or arable farming but reflect small-scale disturbances that supported growth of Betula and Pinus and an abundance of herbs. Such human impact could be connected primarily to activities along trade routes and to hunting, but other factors cannot be excluded.

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Section: Anthropogenic Use Of Firecontrasting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prehistory and early history of the Šumava Mountains (Czech Republic) as seen through anthropogenic pollen indicators and charcoal data

et al. 2020

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“…Wildfires can have dramatic environmental, economic and social impacts, as demonstrated by recent catastrophic fire events (Leverkus et al, 2019). However, fire is an integral part of many ecosystems and controls a range of evolutionary and ecological processes (Bond and Keeley, 2005;Bowman et al, 2009;Archibald et al, 2018). Fire regimes (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire regimes (i.e. fire frequency, size, intensity, severity, seasonality) are influenced by climate and vegetation properties (fuel moisture, availability, composition and structure) and vary both spatially and temporally (Bond and Keeley, 2005;van der Werf et al, 2010;Pausas and Paula, 2012;Archibald et al, 2018). A key challenge for understanding fire-climate interactions is quantifying the effect that vegetation properties have on mediating biomass burning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire hazard modulation by long-term dynamics in land cover and dominant forest type in eastern and central Europe

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Abstract. Wildfire occurrence is influenced by climate, vegetation and human activities. A key challenge for understanding the risk of fires is quantifying the mediating effect of vegetation on fire regimes. Here, we explore the relative importance of Holocene land cover, land use, dominant functional forest type, and climate dynamics on biomass burning in temperate and boreo-nemoral regions of central and eastern Europe over the past 12 kyr. We used an extensive data set of Holocene pollen and sedimentary charcoal records, in combination with climate simulations and statistical modelling. Biomass burning was highest during the early Holocene and lowest during the mid-Holocene in all three ecoregions (Atlantic, continental and boreo-nemoral) but was more spatially variable over the past 3–4 kyr. Although climate explained a significant variance in biomass burning during the early Holocene, tree cover was consistently the highest predictor of past biomass burning over the past 8 kyr. In temperate forests, biomass burning was high at ∼45 % tree cover and decreased to a minimum at between 60 % and 70 % tree cover. In needleleaf-dominated forests, biomass burning was highest at ∼ 60 %–65 % tree cover and steeply declined at >65 % tree cover. Biomass burning also increased when arable lands and grasslands reached ∼ 15 %–20 %, although this relationship was variable depending on land use practice via ignition sources, fuel type and quantities. Higher tree cover reduced the amount of solar radiation reaching the forest floor and could provide moister, more wind-protected microclimates underneath canopies, thereby decreasing fuel flammability. Tree cover at which biomass burning increased appears to be driven by warmer and drier summer conditions during the early Holocene and by increasing human influence on land cover during the late Holocene. We suggest that long-term fire hazard may be effectively reduced through land cover management, given that land cover has controlled fire regimes under the dynamic climates of the Holocene.

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“…4) ukazuje na vysokou požárovou aktivitu, což může být přímý důsledek lidského vlivu. V boreálních lesích na našem území však nelze vyloučit ani přirozené požáry (Bobek a kol. 2019).…”

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Pozdně paleolitické a mezolitické osídlení Šumavy: možnosti výzkumu, datování a interpretace Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Settlement of Šumava: The Possibilities of Research, Dating and Interpretation

Kapustka

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The main objective of the article is to present knowledge of newly discovered sites in the mountainous environment of Šumava (Bohemian Forest). The fieldwork in 2011–2019 identified a total of 30 new sites that can be dated to the Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. The research of prehistoric settlement of the mountainous regions of Bohemia remained a neglected topic for many years. The presence of hunters-gatherers in the mountains in the Mesolithic was documented by isolated finds from the Ore Mountains and a far greater number from Šumava in south Bohemia. This study presents the result of research conducted in three identified locations: in the floodplains of the Roklanský Stream, the Upper Vltava (Moldau) and the Křemelná Stream. The article documents that the network of sites in this space is relatively dense. Although remnants of intact situations are documented in rare cases, the dating of the majority of sites is based solely on lithic assemblages of varying size. Due to the fragmented condition of the obtained material, we discuss the extent to which it is possible to set the survey results in the broader context of central European Mesolithic settlement and present additional thoughts on the density, character and structure of the settlement of central European mountain ranges. Late Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, lithics, mountain settlement, subsistence strategy, Šumava (Bohemian Forest)

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Divergent fire history trajectories in Central European temperate forests revealed a pronounced influence of broadleaved trees on fire dynamics

Cited by 26 publications

References 90 publications

The prehistory and early history of the Šumava Mountains (Czech Republic) as seen through anthropogenic pollen indicators and charcoal data

The prehistory and early history of the Šumava Mountains (Czech Republic) as seen through anthropogenic pollen indicators and charcoal data

Fire hazard modulation by long-term dynamics in land cover and dominant forest type in eastern and central Europe

Pozdně paleolitické a mezolitické osídlení Šumavy: možnosti výzkumu, datování a interpretace Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Settlement of Šumava: The Possibilities of Research, Dating and Interpretation

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