Palynological tools for quantitative reconstructions of human impact on vegetation in Fennoscandian boreal forests

In this study three different approaches to interpret the human impact on vegetation are assessed: the modern pollen analogue technique, pollen accumulation rates and a modelling approach. In addition, the reliability of using moss polsters as a source of modern pollen spectra is investigated by a comparative study of the pollen content in pollen traps and different types of moss samples. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that the modern pollen analogue approach is not the best method for revealing slight human impact on the northern boreal vegetation.