A 4000-year record of fire and forest history from Valle de Bao, Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic

We examined evidence of past vegetation, climate, and disturbance history in a sediment core from a bog on the windward slope of the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic. The sediments revealed a continuous 4000 cal yr history of pine (Pinus occidentalis) dominance and fire. Bog formation may have been linked with a regional shift toward wetter conditions seen at other highland sites around 4000 cal yr BP. Low pollen influx, low organic content, and poor pollen preservation suggested periodic drying of the bog surface between ∼3700 and 1200 cal yr BP and the loss of sediments to either deflation or erosion. Spikes in pollen of broadleaf trees and shrubs, mainly before 2500 cal yr BP, may indicate warmer or wetter intervals. Remobilized old charcoal, along with peaks in Poaceae, Cyathea, and Lophosoria, indicate a possible large tropical storm event around 2900 cal yr BP. Transported clasts of peat and soil in the core signal other high precipitation events. We found no clear evidence of prehistoric human activity.