Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach
Spruce is the most cultivated tree species in modern forestry in Central Europe, since it has the ability to grow on many soil types with profitable biomass accumulation. However, even-aged and uniform spruce forests are affected by recurring droughts and associated biotic stressors leading to large...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.909453/full |
| _version_ | 1811219094923378688 |
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| author | Andrea Seim Andrea Seim Laurent Marquer Ugo Bisson Jutta Hofmann Franz Herzig Raymond Kontic Jutta Lechterbeck Bernhard Muigg Bernhard Muigg Mechthild Neyses-Eiden Andreas Rzepecki Manfred Rösch Felix Walder Julia Weidemüller Willy Tegel Willy Tegel |
| author_facet | Andrea Seim Andrea Seim Laurent Marquer Ugo Bisson Jutta Hofmann Franz Herzig Raymond Kontic Jutta Lechterbeck Bernhard Muigg Bernhard Muigg Mechthild Neyses-Eiden Andreas Rzepecki Manfred Rösch Felix Walder Julia Weidemüller Willy Tegel Willy Tegel |
| author_sort | Andrea Seim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Spruce is the most cultivated tree species in modern forestry in Central Europe, since it has the ability to grow on many soil types with profitable biomass accumulation. However, even-aged and uniform spruce forests are affected by recurring droughts and associated biotic stressors leading to large-scale diebacks across Central Europe causing controversies among foresters and nature conservationists. We investigate the role of spruce in historical woodlands by using 15666 spruce timbers from historical buildings and on the basis of pollen-based land cover estimates using the REVEALS model from 157 pollen sites in southern Central Europe. Start and end dates of the spruce timber samples and their dendrological characteristics (age, growth rates and stem diameters) were used to obtain information on past forest structures. Tree rings and REVEALS estimates are combined at a spatial scale of 1° × 1° resolution, grouped in four sub-regions, and a temporal resolution of 100-year time windows starting from 1150 to 1850 CE. We found that spruce dominates the species assemblage of construction timber with almost 41% and that the harvest age varies little through time, whereas a declining trend in growth rates and stem diameters are observed toward times before modern forestry. Temporal and regional differences in spruce abundance and building activity were found highlighting periods of (i) land abandonment and forest expansion in the 14th century, (ii) increased wood consumption during the 16th century due to population increase and beginning industrial developments, (iii) a forest recovery during and after the Thirty years' war, and (iv) afforestation efforts from the 1650s onwards. Furthermore, this study shows that spruce was constantly present in the study area in most studied sub-regions for the last 800 years. We demonstrate the need of combining tree-ring and pollen data to identify spatiotemporal patterns in spruce abundance and utilization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:19:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ab94f2d7452a400fbcbebfda606f9342 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:19:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-ab94f2d7452a400fbcbebfda606f93422022-12-22T03:42:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-07-011010.3389/fevo.2022.909453909453Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological ApproachAndrea Seim0Andrea Seim1Laurent Marquer2Ugo Bisson3Jutta Hofmann4Franz Herzig5Raymond Kontic6Jutta Lechterbeck7Bernhard Muigg8Bernhard Muigg9Mechthild Neyses-Eiden10Andreas Rzepecki11Manfred Rösch12Felix Walder13Julia Weidemüller14Willy Tegel15Willy Tegel16Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Institute of Forest Sciences, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Freiburg, GermanyDepartment of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, AustriaJahrringlabor Hofmann und Reichle, Nürtingen, GermanyBavarian State Department for Cultural Heritage, Thierhaupten, GermanyLabor Dendron, Basel, SwitzerlandMuseum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, NorwayChair of Forest History, Institute of Forest Sciences, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Freiburg, GermanyAmt für Archäologie, Frauenfeld, SwitzerlandGeneraldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz, Direktion Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Trier, GermanyGeneraldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz, Direktion Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Trier, Germany0Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany1Competence Center for Underwater Archaeology and Dendrochronology, Office for Urbanism, Zurich, SwitzerlandBavarian State Department for Cultural Heritage, Thierhaupten, GermanyChair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Institute of Forest Sciences, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Freiburg, GermanyAmt für Archäologie, Frauenfeld, SwitzerlandSpruce is the most cultivated tree species in modern forestry in Central Europe, since it has the ability to grow on many soil types with profitable biomass accumulation. However, even-aged and uniform spruce forests are affected by recurring droughts and associated biotic stressors leading to large-scale diebacks across Central Europe causing controversies among foresters and nature conservationists. We investigate the role of spruce in historical woodlands by using 15666 spruce timbers from historical buildings and on the basis of pollen-based land cover estimates using the REVEALS model from 157 pollen sites in southern Central Europe. Start and end dates of the spruce timber samples and their dendrological characteristics (age, growth rates and stem diameters) were used to obtain information on past forest structures. Tree rings and REVEALS estimates are combined at a spatial scale of 1° × 1° resolution, grouped in four sub-regions, and a temporal resolution of 100-year time windows starting from 1150 to 1850 CE. We found that spruce dominates the species assemblage of construction timber with almost 41% and that the harvest age varies little through time, whereas a declining trend in growth rates and stem diameters are observed toward times before modern forestry. Temporal and regional differences in spruce abundance and building activity were found highlighting periods of (i) land abandonment and forest expansion in the 14th century, (ii) increased wood consumption during the 16th century due to population increase and beginning industrial developments, (iii) a forest recovery during and after the Thirty years' war, and (iv) afforestation efforts from the 1650s onwards. Furthermore, this study shows that spruce was constantly present in the study area in most studied sub-regions for the last 800 years. We demonstrate the need of combining tree-ring and pollen data to identify spatiotemporal patterns in spruce abundance and utilization.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.909453/fullhistorical forest utilizationconstruction timberPicea abiespollen-based land cover modelingtree rings |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Seim Andrea Seim Laurent Marquer Ugo Bisson Jutta Hofmann Franz Herzig Raymond Kontic Jutta Lechterbeck Bernhard Muigg Bernhard Muigg Mechthild Neyses-Eiden Andreas Rzepecki Manfred Rösch Felix Walder Julia Weidemüller Willy Tegel Willy Tegel Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution historical forest utilization construction timber Picea abies pollen-based land cover modeling tree rings |
| title | Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach |
| title_full | Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach |
| title_fullStr | Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach |
| title_short | Historical Spruce Abundance in Central Europe: A Combined Dendrochronological and Palynological Approach |
| title_sort | historical spruce abundance in central europe a combined dendrochronological and palynological approach |
| topic | historical forest utilization construction timber Picea abies pollen-based land cover modeling tree rings |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.909453/full |
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