The ‘recent’ forests of Mount Venda (Padua, Italy): when historical cartography and archaeobotany tell quite a different story

Forests, like agricultural systems and housing, are an integral part of the human landscapes. They evolve over time, not only in response to environmental factors (e.g. climate change) but also in response to developments in human society. This work on the analysis of forest dynamics in Euganean hills is the result of research carried out as part of the research programmes THISTLE (MSCA Fellowship, grant agreement: 656397) and MEMOLA (EU FP7 Project , grant agreement: 613265). The work is focused on two mountains in particular: Monte Venda and Monte della Madonna. The archaeobotanical investigations reveal the presence of ancient forests (since the 14th century) in these areas , although the entire local community and the forest managers consider these forests to be more recent and the result of spontaneous reforestation linked to the agricultural decline during the latest rural exodus

Sustainable management of wood for charcoal manufacturing activity in the Northern Pyrenees : dendro-anthracological study of charcoal kilns in the Bernadouze forest (Suc-et-Sentenac, Haut-Vicdessos) .

International audienceThis poster presents the results of the dendro-anthracological analysis of charcoals collected in 16 charcoal kilns (CKs) located between 1300 and 1500 m ASL in the Bernadouze forest (Suc-et-Sentenac valley, French Pyrenees) (Fig. 1 and 3) and dated from the 11th to the 20th century. This study aims to restitute the minimum initial diameter of wood collected by charcoal burners in order to provide new insights into wood harvesting strategies, charcoal manufacturing and sylvicultural practices for charcoal products on intended to iron industry. This activity had been on a strong upward trend between the 14th to the 19th centuries

FOrêts passées, DYnamiques et processus de recolonisation à travers l'étude des activités miNières et métAllurigiques historiques du Haut-Vicdessos et de ses abords

National audienc

Evolution de la forêt de Freychinède et des pratiques sur la longue durée : une approche interdisciplinaire à haute résolution spatio-temporelle

International audienceCe poster présente les résultats de l’étude archéo-géographique et anthracologique de la partie nord-ouest de la forêt domaniale de Freychinède qui encercle la tourbière de Bernadouze. Elle vise à reconstruire à haute résolution spatiale et temporelle l’histoire longue decette forêt et des pratiques humaines. Pour cela, elle est basée sur l'analyse combinée des charbons de bois prélevés dans les anciens replats de charbonnage et dans les sols, situés entre 1300 et 1500 m d'altitude (Fig. 1, 2, 3 et 4)

Combining conventional tree-ring measurements with wood anatomy and strontium isotope analyses enables dendroprovenancing at the local scale

Dendroprovenancing provides critical information regarding the origin of wood, allowing further insights into economic exploitation strategies and source regions of timber products. Traditionally, dendroprovenancing relies on pattern-matching of tree rings, but its spatial resolution is limited by the geographical coverage of species-specific chronologies available for crossdating and, in the case of short-distance trades, by scarce environmental variability. Here, we present an approach to provenance timber with high spatial resolution from forested areas that have been exploited intensively throughout history, with the aim to understand the sustainability of the various woodland management practices used to supply timber products. To this end, we combined tree-ring width (TRW), wood anatomical and geochemical analyses in addition to multivariate statistical validation procedures to trace the origin of living oak trees (Quercus robur) sampled in four stands located within a 30-km radius around the city of Limoges (Haute-Vienne, France). We demonstrate that TRW and wood anatomical variables (and in particular cell density) robustly discriminate the eastern from the western site, while failing to trace the origin of trees from the northern and southern sites. Here, strontium isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr) and Ca concentrations identify clusters of trees which could not be identified with TRW or wood anatomy. Ultimately, our study demonstrates that the coupling of wood anatomy with geochemical signatures allows to correctly pinpoint the origin of trees. Given the small geographic scale of our study and the limited differences in elevation and climate between study sites, our results are particularly promising for future dendroprovenancing studies. We thus conclude that the combination of multiple approaches will not only increase the accuracy of dendroprovenancing studies at local scales, but could also be implemented at much larger scales to identify trends in historic timber supply throughout Europe

Combining conventional tree-ring measurements with wood anatomy and strontium isotope analyses enables dendroprovenancing at the local scale

Dendroprovenancing provides critical information regarding the origin of wood, allowing further insights into economic exploitation strategies and source regions of timber products. Traditionally, dendroprovenancing relies on pattern-matching of tree rings, but its spatial resolution is limited by the geographical coverage of species-specific chronologies available for crossdating and, in the case of short-distance trades, by scarce environmental variability. Here, we present an approach to provenance timber with high spatial resolution from forested areas that have been exploited intensively throughout history, with the aim to understand the sustainability of the various woodland management practices used to supply timber products. To this end, we combined tree-ring width (TRW), wood anatomical and geochemical analyses in addition to multivariate statistical validation procedures to trace the origin of living oak trees (Quercus robur) sampled in four stands located within a 30-km radius around the city of Limoges (Haute-Vienne, France). We demonstrate that TRW and wood anatomical variables (and in particular cell density) robustly discriminate the eastern from the western site, while failing to trace the origin of trees from the northern and southern sites. Here, strontium isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr) and Ca concentrations identify clusters of trees which could not be identified with TRW or wood anatomy. Ultimately, our study demonstrates that the coupling of wood anatomy with geochemical signatures allows to correctly pinpoint the origin of trees. Given the small geographic scale of our study and the limited differences in elevation and climate between study sites, our results are particularly promising for future dendroprovenancing studies. We thus conclude that the combination of multiple approaches will not only increase the accuracy of dendroprovenancing studies at local scales, but could also be implemented at much larger scales to identify trends in historic timber supply throughout Europe

Sustainable management of metallurgical forest on Mont Lozère (France) during the Early Middle Ages

International audienceMont Lozère, located in the French Massif Central region, provides an exceptional context in which to research the impact that charcoal production and metallurgy had on woodlands, along with the role that these activities played in changing the mountain landscape. This study provides an insight into the land use, forest management methods and metallurgical practices in the area during the Middle Ages (11th to 15th centuries). Medieval charcoal burning platforms, archaeological remains that have often been neglected in the past as a source of historical information, along with nearby smelting sites, were identified, sampled and analysed. In this paper, spatial analyses, radiocarbon dating and anthracological and dendro-anthracological studies have been combined in a unique manner. The results reveal that charcoal burners practiced beech coppicing, where the species and diameter of wood used remained the same over a period of four centuries. It is proposed that this form of metallurgical forest management be considered an early example of a sustainable utilisation of natural resources