FIRE, AXE, AND PLOW: HUMAN INFLUENCE ON LOCAL PLANT COMMUNITIES IN THE SOUTHERN ARGOLID

In the lands o f the Mediterranean Basin, one of the most striking features of the nonagricultural landscape is the widespread existence of scrub plants and the relative lack of true forests. The testimony of ancient writers, such as Thucydides, leads us t o believe that in antiquity forest cover in a country like Greece was more extensive than it is now. Hydrological studies1 also indicate that major erosion of soil from hillsides has occurred during historic times, leading one t o the suspicion that many slopes once capable of supporting forest communities are now so denuded that there is barely soil enough to support low scrub or maquis.