NEW DATA CONCERNING THE EVOLUTION OF THE VEGETATION IN LILLO PINEWOOD(LEON, SPAIN)

A pollen study of the peat-bog sited in the pinewood of Lillo (Leon, S pain) is presented. The diagram shows an initial phase where a well-de veloped pinewood was dominant with deciduous species, followed by a se lective clearance process of Pinus. Finally, the pinewood recovers aga in towards a similar state to that described at the beginning of the p rofile. Radiocarbon dates point that the timing of peat formation took place around 1720 +/- 60 years BP and the deforestation on 780 +/- 80 years BP. The results have allowed to explain the autochthonous chara cter of Lillo pinewood, which remains as one of the few relics of the southern slopes of the Cantabrian Range.