Assessing Holocene vegetation and fire history by a multiproxy approach: The case of Stodthagen Forest (northern Germany)

Abstract

The woodland history of the forest of Stodthagen (northern Germany) was investigated by using complementary palaeobotanical indicators. Six soil profiles from the study plot were sampled, the wood charcoal pieces extracted from the soil samples were quantified, taxonomically identified, and some were radiocarbon dated. Peat sequences from a small adjacent mire were also sampled and the pollen, microcharcoal, and macrocharcoal were analysed. The pollen record shows a continuous forestation during the Holocene, with small indication of a disturbance phase during the late Holocene. This continuity of the woodland presence is confirmed by the weak quantity of macrocharcoal, indicating that fire did not have a serious impact during the Holocene in terms of canopy opening, despite the identification of three local fire events. However, large amounts of wood charcoal pieces were found in the soil samples allowing the identification of at least one more fire event, dated in the Iron Age, unrecorded in the charcoal signal from the peat sequences. The taxonomical charcoal assemblage is in agreement with the pollen data. This innovative multiproxy approach allows the assessment of the ancient and continual presence of a woodland at the study site, which highlights the biological and patrimonial interest of the area and justifies the ongoing conservation management of the woodland.