Long-Term Stability of Coastal Forests Revealed in New Study

A new scientific article from our team, published in the journal Quaternary, explores how Latvia’s coastal vegetation developed and responded to climate and human activity over the last 10,000 years. The research reveals that Latvia’s coastal forests have remained remarkably stable for thousands of years, particularly during the middle Holocene when broadleaved trees like oak, lime, and hazel dominated the landscape in other locations. The findings are based on sediment core analysis from a site near the Gulf of Riga, using pollen and sediment data to track how vegetation and land use have changed since the last Ice Age.

Why does this matter?

The long-term resilience of coastal forests under past climate shifts shows that these ecosystems are naturally stable, until human pressure increases. This study provides a valuable reference for what "natural" forest conditions look like, helping guide conservation and restoration in the coastal zone of Latvia and beyond.

Read the full article: Influence of geological and soil factors on pine, birch, and alder stability during the Holocene climate change in central Latvia, Northeastern Europe.