The fire history of Danish heathland areas as reflected by pollen and charred particles in lake sediments

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Abstract
Sediments deposited during the last 5400 years in two Danish, closed, oligotrophic lakes have been analysed for pollen, dark-coloured hyphae and microscopic charred particles. Chronologies are provided by numerous radiocarbon datings. Redundancy analysis is used to develop a model for the relationship between concentrations of sedimentary charred particles and pollen at Lake Solsø. The only pollen type which is significantly correlated with charred particles is Calluna. The model is used to predict charred particle concentrations in the sediments of lake Skånsø from the Calluna-concentrations and the predicted values are compared to the observed. The results indicate that: (1) the source area and the means of transportation for microscopic charred particles and pollen are approximately identical; (2) charred particles and pollen may be focused differentially in a lake; and (3) high fire intensities triggered heathland expansion and heaths were maintained by fires through millennia.