Using fire scars and growth release in subfossil Scots pine to reconstructprehistoric fires

Fire scars indicating low- to moderate-intensity fires on peat deposits hav e been sampled from subfossil Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) at sites in England, Wales and south-west Ireland. Analysis of ring-width responses to one fire event in 2800 BC illustrates its rejuvenating effect on Pinus sylv estris woodland, supporting a growing body of modern and palaeoecological d ata that illustrates the regenerative role played by fire in persistence of Finals sylvestris woodland. Both the scale and timing of these fires sugge st that infrequent low- to moderate-intensity fires are sufficient to stimu late Pinus sylvestris growth. This effect is shown by average increases in ring-width following the fire of between 0.62 and 1.16 mm in non-scarred tr ees and between 0.92 and 2.74 mm in fire-scarred individuals. Growth releas e in non-scarred trees may glove to be a more reliable method of detecting fire than using the relatively rare fire scars alone. Radii at time of scar ring varied between 1.85 and 11.2 cm, much smaller than is predicted to sur vive from modern studies. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.