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<p>Did climate or humans transform Eastern European forests? A 10,200-year multi-proxy record of pollen, plant macrofossils, macrocharcoal and charcoal morphotypes from Kosilovo mire in the area of the watershed between the rivers Western Dvina and Lovat on the East European Plain reveals that the answer involves both, but with fire as the main mechanism linking them. We reconstructed Holocene vegetation history to disentangle the interplay between climate, fire regimes and human activity. The results demonstrate that Early to Mid Holocene vegetation dynamics were mainly climate-driven, with broadleaved forests (<i>Quercus</i> 15–20%, <i>Tilia</i> 10–12%, <i>Ulmus</i> 8–10%) dominating during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (8,000–4,200 cal <span>bp</span>) with low fire frequency (fire return intervals up to 1,782 years). The scores of quantitative biome reconstruction (biomisation) confirm the dominance of <i>Cool Mixed Forest</i> biome (60–75% affinity scores) throughout this period. A significant change occurred after ca. 4,200 cal <span>bp</span> in which Neoglacial cooling started the decline of thermophilous broadleaved taxa, and our data reveal that human fire activity acted as a catalyst, accelerating this transition from 2,800 cal <span>bp</span>. Fire return intervals shortened to 120–890 years, with charcoal accumulation rates increasing by 3–5×. Charcoal morphotypes changed from woody to herbaceous or leafy material, characteristic of the ground surface fires used in early land clearance. <i>Picea</i> pollen rose continuously from 2 to 41% by 2,300 cal <span>bp</span>, while broadleaved taxa dropped below 10%. Thus, the modern boreal character of the regional vegetation is not solely a climatic artefact but a legacy of repeated fires caused by humans that degraded broadleaved stands. By the Early Iron Age (ca. 2,800 cal <span>bp</span>), Cerealia-type pollen reached 2–3% and agricultural activity became the dominant cause of landscape openness (NAP 15–25%). This record demonstrates how human fire regimes can amplify climatic trends in forest ecotones, producing lasting changes in regional vegetation composition, with dominance of boreal forests (<i>Picea</i>+<i>Pinus+Betula</i> &gt; 70%) persisting through to the modern period.</p>

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Fire, climate and human drivers of Holocene vegetation changes at the hemiboreal forest ecotone: evidence from the Western Dvina–Lovat watershed area (East European Plain)

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月9日

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  • Maria B. Nosova,
  • Nikita G. Lavrenov,
  • Egor A. Zelenin,
  • Natalia G. Mazei,
  • Dmitry A. Kupriyanov,
  • Yuri A. Mazei

摘要

Did climate or humans transform Eastern European forests? A 10,200-year multi-proxy record of pollen, plant macrofossils, macrocharcoal and charcoal morphotypes from Kosilovo mire in the area of the watershed between the rivers Western Dvina and Lovat on the East European Plain reveals that the answer involves both, but with fire as the main mechanism linking them. We reconstructed Holocene vegetation history to disentangle the interplay between climate, fire regimes and human activity. The results demonstrate that Early to Mid Holocene vegetation dynamics were mainly climate-driven, with broadleaved forests (Quercus 15–20%, Tilia 10–12%, Ulmus 8–10%) dominating during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (8,000–4,200 cal bp) with low fire frequency (fire return intervals up to 1,782 years). The scores of quantitative biome reconstruction (biomisation) confirm the dominance of Cool Mixed Forest biome (60–75% affinity scores) throughout this period. A significant change occurred after ca. 4,200 cal bp in which Neoglacial cooling started the decline of thermophilous broadleaved taxa, and our data reveal that human fire activity acted as a catalyst, accelerating this transition from 2,800 cal bp. Fire return intervals shortened to 120–890 years, with charcoal accumulation rates increasing by 3–5×. Charcoal morphotypes changed from woody to herbaceous or leafy material, characteristic of the ground surface fires used in early land clearance. Picea pollen rose continuously from 2 to 41% by 2,300 cal bp, while broadleaved taxa dropped below 10%. Thus, the modern boreal character of the regional vegetation is not solely a climatic artefact but a legacy of repeated fires caused by humans that degraded broadleaved stands. By the Early Iron Age (ca. 2,800 cal bp), Cerealia-type pollen reached 2–3% and agricultural activity became the dominant cause of landscape openness (NAP 15–25%). This record demonstrates how human fire regimes can amplify climatic trends in forest ecotones, producing lasting changes in regional vegetation composition, with dominance of boreal forests (Picea+Pinus+Betula > 70%) persisting through to the modern period.