Posted on 12/06/2016 10:00:44 AM PST by JimSEA
Large-scale forest fires started by prehistoric hunter-gatherers are probably the reason why Europe is not more densely forested. The finding -- by an international team, including climate researcher Professor Jed Kaplan of the University of Lausanne and archaeologist Professor Jan Kolen of Leiden University -- was published Nov. 30 in the journal PLOS ONE.
Deliberate or negligent
This research has generated new insights on the role of hunters in the formation of the landscape. It may be that during the coldest phase of the last Ice Age, some 20,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers deliberately lit forest fires in an attempt to create grasslands and park-like forests. They probably did this to attract wild animals and to make it easier to gather vegetable food and raw materials; it also facilitated movement. Another possibility is that the large-scale forests and steppe fires may have been the result of the hunters' negligent use of fire in these semi-open landscapes.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Dang those people missed their calling as the forensic arson squad.
I nominate you for “Post Of The Day”
If they were anything like me it was deliberate for sure!!!
I read years ago, that people cut down trees to keep warm.
And later they farmed the open ground.
“Large-scale forest fires started by prehistoric hunter-gatherers are probably the reason why Europe is not more densely forested.”
That first sentence says it all. First, exactly how do they know the hunters purposely set forest fires?
Forest and grassland fires are purposely set today as it has been found a fire gives life to new growth. The fires of Yellowstone were purposely left to burn as the whackos figured this was natures way, and leave it alone, as it will regrow anyway. Our trip through the area about 10 years later did show new growth.
My point is, the second part of that sentence is all BS as forests regenerate after a fire.
Fake science!
One example is the entire Cumberland Valley and Shenandoah Valley from Pennsylvania through Virginia.
The old primeval ecosystem was destroyed by the Indians through intentional burning and then was repeatedly burned thereafter, in order to provide them what was essentially a huge game park where they could more easily see and hunt their game with their bows and arrows. Who knows how many species of flora and fauna permanently disappeared from this ecosystem as a result.
The Europeans upon first encountering the area termed it “the Barrens.” It may have been the greatest single act of environmental destruction by humans in North America.
The Great Flood extinguished the lightning fires.
Exactly.
They may have also discouraged the Mongols, coming from the other direction, from moving farther west when they invaded Eastern Europe in 1241.
Interesting if true.
What horsecrap. Forests replenish themselves eventually after fires.
Junk science.
Actually, the American Indians did the same in North America. Funny thing, people want to eat. Forest’s are desert’s to both animal and plant as they relate to food.
I thought it was their SUVs.
The obvious move here is to raise taxes.
The problem there is two fold, one the great beasties couldn’t forage in a forest and secondly the ocean and lake core samples don’t support such a massive conflagration. I support the, no single fire but mammoth meat is tasty theory. That plus there was drastically less tundra environment and more grassland (something the lake core samples and Greenland ice cores do support). Grass is hard to eat and digest.
I thought it was the Venetians cutting down all the trees for shipbuilding.
“Hey, now that we discovered fire, what’s next?”
“Uhh, I dunno, I wonder if these trees would, like, burn? Cuz it’s friggin cold with all these glaciers advancing.”
Very good analysis. For some reason computer modeling based on unproven theories showing what “ought to be” is allowed to supersede old fashioned collection of physical evidence of “what was and is”. So called climate science is just the most prominent (and profitable for the model faithful and governments taxing the air we breath) example of what happens when computer nerds are allowed to run the show.
No, you're wrong. I'm sure that African scholars have proven that it was ancestors of white Americans who were cutting down these trees and building slave ships so that, in the future, the Whites would have these ships in storage for the day when they would be able to use a head-start in enslaving all those noble African kings and queens ....
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