Over time, human activity caused this delicate landscape to degrade. Cutting down trees for use as firewood reduced the lomas overstory and caused ground moisture to evaporate more quickly, which ultimately led to a decline of plant life in terms of both density and species diversity. Later strata at Paloma show fewer woody plant remains that were burned, and preserved firewood is generally smaller in diameter than in earlier levels. This environmental degradation may have contributed to Paloma's eventual abandonment.
