Paleoecology and its application to fire and vegetation management in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia

High-resolution analysis of macroscopic charcoal and pollen ratios were use d to reconstruct a 10,000 yr history of fire and vegetation change around D og Lake, now in the Montane Spruce biogeoclimatic zone of southeastern Brit ish Columbia. Lake sediment charcoal records suggest that fire was more fre quent in the early Holocene from 10,000 to 8200 calendar yrs BP, when clima te was warmer and drier than today and forest fuels were limited. Fire freq uency increased and reached its maximum during the early to mid-Holocene fr om 8200 to 4000 calendar yrs BP, corresponding to the dry and warm Hypsithe rmal period in the Rocky Mountains. During the Hypsithermal period forests around Dog Lake were dominated by Pseudotsuga/Larix,Pinus and open meadows of Poaceae that were subject to frequent fire. From 4000 calendar yrs BP to present, fires became less frequent with the onset of cooler and wetter Ne oglacial climate and an increase in wet-closed Picea and Abies forests in t he valley. Changes in fire frequency are supported by dry-open/wet-closed p ollen ratio data indicating that forest type and disturbance regimes vary w ith changing climate. The fire frequency and forest cover reconstructions f rom Dog Lake are a first attempt at defining a range of natural variability for Montane Spruce forests in southeastern British Columbia. Fire and vege tation management in Kootenay National Park can now use this century to mil lennial-scale range of variability to define the context of current forest conditions and potential changes under global warming scenarios.