Heathland development and relationship between humans and environment along the coast of western Norway through time

The coastal area of western Norway is characterized by heathlands of Calluna vulgaris, developed and maintained through grazing by domestic animals and burning. Pollen diagrams from five sites (Vingen, Skatestraumen, Selja, Osneset, Gossen) are presented and the heathland development discussed. Soil, topography and cultural history differ between the sites, whereas the climate is relatively similar along the coast. The investigation shows presence of Calluna in forest openings from the Mesolithic, but cultural activity including grazing did not result in heathland development before 1300 cal. BC. The oldest heathland is found in an area of moraine and marine sand well suited for agricultural activity where heathlands developed as part of the farming economy. At sites with poorer soil, heathland development took place in the Iron Age and medieval time, as outfield pastures for farms located in some distance to the sites. By the medieval monastery at Selja, heathlands existed from the Late Iron Age and expanded into grasslands and cereal fields when the monastery was abandoned. The investigation illustrates the variation that exists in heathland development and the different factors that may cause the development. Until 1000 years ago, the coastal landscape probably held a mosaic of vegetation types; heathlands, grasslands, cultivated fields and forests.