Woodland history of northern Greece from the mid Holocene to recent time based on evidence from peat pollen profiles

Abstract

The woodland history of the northern mountainous parts of Greece is considered in the context of pollen profiles from bogs in Rhodopes, Lailias-Vrontou, Paiko, Voras and Pieria. In the time period covered by these diagrams (only those from Voras and Lailias extend back to the 7th millennium B.P.) the overall trends in the woodland history at the particular sites are comparable but there are also substantial differences that are attributed to the effects of human influence which varied in time, intensify and extent. The earlier phase, which corresponds to the Atlantic period of Firbas, is characterized by mixed deciduous woodlands with Quercus or Tilia the main components. This is followed by the phase (Subboreal) in which coniferous woodlands, which consisted of Abies and Pinus, dominated. In this time, Fagus gradually expanded. In the final phase (Subatlantic), Abies becomes more or less extinct and Fagus has a dominant role. These developments broadly correspond with those recorded in pollen profiles from Central Europe.