Local versus extra-local representation of Holocene vegetation change in North-East Germany

Abstract

Contrasting results from studies on triggers of the postglacial expansion of Fagus sylvatica reveal that either the processes connected to this expansion were different across Europe or that these processes were acting on different spatial scales. These hypotheses are tested in this study by comparing the representation of the expansion of F. sylvatica in two pollen diagrams that represent the development of the Peutscher forest in NE Germany at different spatial scales. The results show that the expansion and its triggers are differently represented in both pollen diagrams but also show that the processes connected to this expansion were different across Europe. In northern Europe, the expansion was mainly controlled by anthropogenic activities while climate was the most important trigger in central- and southern Europe. These results question the validity of nature-based forest management strategies that sustain beech-forests and imply that the promotion of other tree taxa such as linden, that was a more important forest component before anthropogenic disturbance, has a stronger claim of being nature-based.