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Some questions on the late-Holocene vegetation of Europe

Some examples of postglacial and modern European vegetation are presented as starting points for a discussion on the pattern and processes of the late-Holocene recession of forests. Predictive modern vegetation models are considered; they indicate that deciduous forest may not at present be the dominant vegetation type in northern Europe and in part of central Europe. A comparison of pollen diagrams at a supraregional scale shows that the beginning of deforestation in northern Europe was contemporaneous with expansion of forests in Italy. Some Holocene pollen records, compared with the classical interglacial-cycle models, seem to indicate that, at least in some regions of Europe, the present interglacial might already be in the terminal phase, namely open conifer-dominated woodlands. On the basis of these observations, the hypothesis is suggested that late-Holocene natural openings in the forests, predictable at the end of the interglacials, favouring the diffusion of grasses, produced environments suitable for human settlements, agriculture and pastoral activity.