THE ELM DECLINE AT PAWLAW MIRE: AN ANTHROPOGENIC INTERPRETATION

Abstract

A fine‐resolution pollen diagram has been prepared from across the elm decline at Pawpaw Mire, 462 m OD, in the northern Pennies of England. It covers 25 cm with 01 cm thick samples at intervals varying from 08 to 01 cm in different parts of the diagram. It is estimated that each sample contains the pollen produced during an average of one to two seasons. There is evidence that the woodland vegetation was being managed by the local mesolithic population throughout the four centuries or so represented and although other factors may have contributed, the elm decline at this site can be explained satisfactorily in terms of the cumulative effect of this mesolithic activity on the soils of the area. Copyright © 1985, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved