Climate-vegetation-fire interactions during the Holocene within the New Forest, Southern England

A combined pollen, charcoal and palaeoclimatic record is presented from the valley mire Cranes Moor, located in southern Britain . The mire sequence covers the period c.10500 - 5850 cal. yrs BP and is shown to have been ombrotrophic during much of this period and therefore was climatically sensitive. It is shown that the occurrence of fire events correlates with the prevailing climatic conditions recorded in the mire, notably an increased summer moisture deficit. This implies that the timing of burning events is linked to periods of cooler / drier climate. Periods of increased fire incidence are also related to changes in the local woodland vegetation. The nature and timing of the fire events recorded at this site show strong similarities to other records from northern Europe. The possible role of human activity is also discussed as a source of ignition, though it is suggested that the underlying control for burning at this site is climatically driven.