Paleoanthraсological analysis in the study of Late Glacial vegetation of the South-Eastern Baltic

The article presents results of a paleoanthracological analysis of the Kulikovo Late Glacial section (South-Eastern Baltic, Kaliningrad Region). Thr paleoanthracological analysis is proposed as a new methodological approach to study the presence of woody taxa in Late Glacial vegetation. The analysis of the samples reveal 22 macrocharcoal morphotypes, including indicators of woody (coniferous and deciduous) vegetation. The obtained results indicate an almost continuous local presence of woody species in this area since the Older Dryas (no later than ~13,980 cal yr BP). This conclusion is consistent with available palynological data, indicating that the percentage of woody taxa from the end of the Older Dryas until approximately 12.5 ka does not fall below 50 %, and over a significant part of the studied interval, it reaches 70—80 %. The paleoanthracological analysis can serve as both an independent method and an important addition to the reconstruction of Late Glacial and early Holocene vegetation based on palynological data.