Grazing Ecology and Forest History

The belief that closed forest systems covered Central and Western Europe’s lowlands before human agricultural intervention is widely accepted. It is thought that without this intervention, today’s grasslands would revert to forests, albeit with fewer species. This book challenges that view with evidence from pollen analyses and studies on trees like oak and hazel. It suggests that herbivores shaped vegetation, resulting in a landscape of grasslands, scrub, solitary trees, and groves. The book also includes comparative information from North America.