Forestry Advance Access originally published online on May 3, 2006
Forestry 2006 79(3):279-291; doi:10.1093/forestry/cpl015
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Long-term ecology of native pinewood communities in East Glen Affric, Scotland
1 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, England
2 Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Geocentrum, Villavägen 16, S-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
3 Present address: Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, England
*Corresponding author. E-mail: cynthia.froyd{at}ouce.ox.ac.uk
Fossil pollen, stomata and charcoal were examined from a lake sedimentary sequence in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, one of the largest areas of remnant native pine woodland in Scotland, in order to assess ecosystem dynamics over the last 11 000 years. Results reveal that pinewood communities have been continuously present in East Glen Affric for the last 8300 years. Pinus sylvestris first arrived in the area around 9900 cal. BP, but occurred in only low abundance for the subsequent 1600 years. Pine populations expanded around 8300 cal. BP and remained in relatively constant abundance throughout the remainder of the Holocene. There is no evidence of a hypothesized regional mid-Holocene ‘pine decline’ at the site. Charcoal results reveal that pinewood communities in East Glen Affric do not appear to have been dependent on fire for either their establishment or their maintenance as has previously been suggested.