How can peatland palaeoecology support nature conservation? Two examples from the Tuchola Forest, Poland

Peatlands are important carbon stocks, yet they are also highly susceptible to ongoing climate change and other direct anthropogenic impacts. Many peatlands across Europe have been either destroyed or partly damaged, and anthropogenic disturbance intensified over the last 300 years. Conservation of these ecosystems is, therefore, necessary to protect various ecosystem services provided by peatlands, e.g., water retention, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection. This contribution aims to present two palaeoecological case studies that supported the creation of two new nature reserves in the Tuchola Forest in Northern Poland in 2024 – “Torfowisko Jezierzba” (Jezierzba Peatland) and “Torfowisko Okoniny” (Okoniny Peatland). Both peatlands are located within a large Pinus sylvestris monoculture forest complex managed by the State Forests. In both cases, palaeoecological investigations involved high-resolution analyses of various palaeoecological proxies and the studies of historical materials and maps, while at the Jezierzba peatland, remote sensing analyses were additionally carried out to assess the current ecosystem state (Bąk et al. 2024; Tipton et al. in review). Moreover, dendrochronological data helped to assess the state of forest stands and the response of pine trees to climate change. Invaluable was a close cooperation with local foresters from Woziwoda and Tuchola Forestry Districts who supported our investigations.

Research funded by National Science Centre, Poland (2020/39/D/ST10/00641) and EEA Grants/Norway Grants (MFEOG.07.02.01-50-0028/21-00).

Bąk, M., Lamentowicz, M., Kołaczek, P., Wochal, D., Matulewski, P., Kopeć, D., Wietecha, M., Jaster, D. & Marcisz, K. (2024) Assessing the impact of forest management and climate on a peatland under Scots pine monoculture using a multidisciplinary approach. Biogeosciences, 21, 5143-5172.

Tipton, J., Marcisz, K., Łuców, D., Obremska, M. & Lamentowicz, M. (in review) Utilizing testate amoebae as key indicators of critical transitions in historical forest management: a case study of Scots pine monoculture.