Abstract
Past human land use has received increasing attention as an important driver of ecosystem change also in seemingly natural landscapes. Quantification of historical land use is therefore critical for assessing the degree of human impact and requires integration of ecology, history and archaeology. This study aims to assess and compare levels of resource use by different actors during 355 years across a large landscape of northern Sweden. Data on resource use derived from case studies were extrapolated using demographic data to estimate harvested resources at the landscape scale. Here, we examined the use of the key-specie Scots pine by native Sami peoples and farmers and through commercial logging, and reconstructed historical forest conditions in order to interpret harvest levels and sustainability. We show that (1) the pre-industrial use of Scots pine resources in Pite Lappmark was sustainable from a landscape perspective, and (2) that the early commercial logging, in contrast, was not sustainable. Large and old Scots pine trees were logged at a very high rate, reaching up to 300 % of the annual ingrowth. We suggest that historical landscape studies should incorporate analysis at different spatial scales, as such an approach can mirror the overall use of resources. Only then can land use data be applied across larger spatial scales, function as reference values and be compared to those of other regions, time-periods and types of human impact.
Highlights
During the last two decades ecologists have increasingly acknowledged past human land use as an important driver of ecosystem change (Rhemtulla and Mladenoff 2007)
We suggest that historical landscape studies should incorporate analysis at different spatial scales, as such an approach can mirror the overall use of resources
The ecological provisions we examined include firewood, lichen-rich trees felled to feed the reindeer with arboreal lichen, inner bark used as a food resource, and timber removed in early commercial logging
Summary
During the last two decades ecologists have increasingly acknowledged past human land use as an important driver of ecosystem change (Rhemtulla and Mladenoff 2007). More than 60 years ago, Day (1953) suggested that studies of pre-industrial land use should focus on the extent and intensity of early human occupation to better understand humans’ ecological roles and the effects of their actions on past and present environments. He considered the following four factors: (1) duration of occupation, (2) population density, (3) population concentrations and movements and (4) local patterns of settlements or locations of villages. This is not straightforward because of the breadth of the ecological and social dimensions that must be considered, and the frequently fragmentary nature of historical records
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