Late-Glacial Vegetational History of the Edmund Niles Huyck Bog, Rensselaerville, New York

Abstract

Abstract Pollen analysis of a 10-m core from the Niles Huyck Bog in Rensselaerville, NY, yields a history of late-glacial and postglacial vegetational change from the beginning of sediment deposition into the bog basin following ice withdrawal to the present. A radio-carbon-dated sequence is provided as time control for the upper 6 m. Late-glacial pollen assemblages seen near the base of the core consist of Abies spp. (fir) and Picea spp. (spruce) as the principal tree genera and grasses and sedges as the main herbaceous components, and resemble pollen assemblages elsewhere in New York and New England. These assemblages were replaced by ones consisting primarily of Pinus spp. (pine), which became dominant ca. 9000 years before present (YBP). By 8000 YBP, pine gave way to Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock), Quercus spp. (oak), and Fagus grandifolia (American Beech), denoting a more mesic climate. Thereafter, the replacement of oak by beech is a notable trend that continues throughout the pollen profile and...