The Impact of Native American Activity on Vegetation and Soil Charcoal in the Eastern US - Juniper Publishers

The Impact of Native American Activity on Vegetation and Soil Charcoal in the Eastern US

Authored by Abrams Marc D

This research was conducted to ascertain whether areas of cultural resources where significant Native American activity has occurred during the Late Woodland and Mississippian Time Periods can be identified through the dominant vegetation composition and soil features of the present-day landscape. A general hypothesis is that Native Americans left a legacy of their land uses in the present-day ecosystem by propagating certain important wild plant species and crop species in the forest, known as “indicator species”, as well as the presence of soil charcoal from past fire activity. Present-day forest ecosystems in eastern Virginia and northern New York contained many Native American indicator species and buried soil charcoal. Pinpointing a combination of geological, soil, topographical and vegetation characteristics that are typical of Late Woodland and Mississippian Time Period Native American cultural sites could allow Cultural Resources Managers to more efficiently identify landscapes where the probability of locating archaeological features is greater. Analysis of these features may also allow personnel to more accurately characterize the types of land use or activities that occurred on these sites. Soil charcoal analysis could serve as a rapid method of determining fire history during the time period of interest. Surveys of vegetation could be integrated into testing strategies either before or after archaeological site discovery, to both locate landscapes of particular interest, or further elucidate what kinds of activities may have been occurring following the discovery of a site.

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