Re: Kensington runestone Vegetation)in the Scandinavian press

Daryl Krupa wrote:
1118445086.584455.221590@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Alaca wrote: 
Philip Deitiker wrote:

<snip> 
 The flip side is that the region may have been a part of
a manmade fire ecology zone.


Was burning then and there already used, or was
it European influence?

<snip>

 Peter:
 Prescribed burns seem to have been a common tool for
wildlife habitat management among many Native American
groups.
 Here in Alberta, a ban on Native burning in the 1930s
has led to a change in average age of tree stands and
forest fire characteristics,
(larger and more-intense forest fires than before
the ban, and less browsing habitat for deer, moose,
etc., and a drop in populations of wapiti and caribou)
so in our case at least, European influence was
antithetical to manmade fire ecology zones.
 Fire also seems to have had a strong role in
suppressing poplar growth in fringe lands between
forest and grassland (what we call "parkland"), so
that some areas with good, dark grassland soils now
support poplar stands (which tend to produce grey
soils) since the incidence of fire has dropped to
"almost never".

 A site re: manmade fire ecology:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/natcul/natcul1di_E.asp

-
Daryl Krupa


Thank you.
Since my question I know a lot more.
I already gave in the thread {Some logic ...]
a link to the great site of the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/index.html
and I know now that wildfires were already
common in pre-European times and that it
was the most important natural disturbance.
I also didn't know that it is still used in modern
forrest/nature managent.

The consequence is that we can't be sure about
the structure of the vegetation on landscape level
in the 14th century Kensington area. 


Here are some notes on the factor fire in different
ecosystems from the DNR site.


Minnesota River prairie
Fire was the most common natural disturbance
before settlement. Fire suppression has allowed
woodlands to develop from what was originally
oak openings or brush prairies Red River prairie
Fire, drought, and annual flooding are important
Pine moraines & outwash plains
Fire occurred on a 10-40 year rotation within
much of the subsection, accounting for the
dominance by upland conifers and trembling
aspen-birch forests (Frissel 1973).
Aspen parklands
Fire was the most common natural disturbance
before settlement. Fire suppression has allowed
woodlands to develop from what was originally
oak openings or brush prairies (Wheeler et al.
1992).
Hardwood hills
Fire was important in oak savanna development. Agassiz lowlands
Fire occurred on the peatlands. Insect
infestations, such as spruce budworm probably
lead to fires. St. Louis moraines
Fire and windthrow were the most common
natural disturbances. Fire was an important
agent in maintaining fairly pure red and white
pine stands.
Coteau moraines
Fire and drought were the dominant causes of
natural disturbance. Fires were very common
before settlement, re-energizing the prairie
plant communities. 

--
- Peter Alaca - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


.

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