A 550-Year Record of the Disturbance History of White Spruce Forests Near Two Inuit Settlements in Labrador, Canada

We assessed historical variations in environmental parameters affecting tree growth during the last 550 years in north-central Labrador, Canada, using dendroecological analysis of white spruce forests near two Inuit settlements. Tree surveys of both modern and archaeological wood samples provided data for dendroecological analysis of growth patterns and natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes and enabled more-refined dendrochronological dating of the occupation of archaeological sites. Previous Quebec-Labrador peninsula dendroecological studies have focused on climatic forcing agents; this studys coupling of annual tree-growth records to local-scale historical and archaeological data facilitates examination of multi-causal disturbance patterns over time. Low-intensity human interactions with forest ecosystems were significant factors influencing local-scale subarctic forest dynamics in coastal Labrador and should be taken into consideration in other studies.

我们针对加拿大拉布拉多中北部地区过去550年间影响树木生长的环境参数历史变化展开评估，基于两处因纽特（Inuit）定居点附近的白云杉（white spruce）林开展树木生态学（dendroecological）分析。对现代木材与考古木材样本开展的树木调查，为树木生长模式、自然及人为（anthropogenic）干扰制度的树木生态学分析提供了数据支撑，同时可实现对考古遗址人居活动年代更为精准的树木年代学（dendrochronological）断代。此前针对魁北克-拉布拉多半岛的树木生态学研究多聚焦于气候驱动因子；本研究将年度树木生长记录与局地尺度的历史及考古数据相结合，得以深入探究不同时期的多成因干扰模式。低强度人类活动与森林生态系统的互动，是影响拉布拉多沿海地区局地尺度亚寒带森林动态的关键因素，相关结论可为其他相关研究提供重要参考。