Historical ecology of lowland forests: Does pedoanthracology support historical and archaeological data?

Feiss, Thomas; Horen, Hélène; Brasseur, Boris; Buridant, Jérôme; Gallet‐Moron, Emilie; Decocq, Guillaume

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2016.10.029

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Vegetation resurveys can reach only a few decades into the past but observed vegetation changes can reflect processes from further back (Bernhardt-Römermann et al, 2015). Therefore, to elucidate forest changes over longer timescales, other methods like paleoecology, dendrochronology and archaeology must be applied (Szabó and Hédl, 2011;Feiss et al, 2017). A combination of different methods can provide novel insights and often reveal the significant role of historical human management (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical charcoal burning and coppicing suppressed beech and increased forest vegetation heterogeneity

Máliš

Bobek

Hédl

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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Questions: Long-term legacies of historical human activities in temperate forests are increasingly recognised as an important driver of vegetation diversity and composition. To uncover centuries-old legacies, novel approaches are, however, needed. Here, we combine anthracology of historical charcoal kilns and long-term vegetation resurveys. We asked whether the historical coppicing oriented on charcoal production affected tree-species composition and how the forest understorey vegetation changed after the coppicing was abandoned. Location: Temperate broadleaved forests in the Slovak Karst National Park, central Europe. Methods: To explore the historical forest structure and long-term changes in tree composition, we sampled charcoal remains from 28 historical kilns, identified the burnt tree taxa and estimated the original diameter of the burnt wood. To analyse the vegetation changes over the last four decades, we resurveyed plant composition of 60 quasi-permanent plots established in 1975. Results: Historical charcoal burning was associated with coppicing, which decreased Fagus sylvatica dominance and favoured Quercus spp. in the tree layer. Several decades after the abandonment of coppicing, we observed the decline of Quercus spp. and spread of shade-casting tree species with nutrient-rich litter. This probably triggered the identified demise of light-demanding species, the spread of nitrophytes and taxonomic homogenisation of the forest understorey. Conclusions: The shift from historical coppicing to current high-forest management was likely a main driver of the observed taxonomic homogenisation and decline of light-demanding plants, as in other European lowland forests. Long-term data from charcoal kilns showed, however, that closed-canopy forests dominated by beech were historically more common and observed changes in vegetation thus represent a natural process. Findings also suggest that coppicing taking place over centuries enhanced diversity of forest understorey vegetation. Our novel approach combining a vegetation resurvey and charcoal kiln anthracology thus uncovered otherwise hidden links between current biological processes and the historical human legacies, with consequent important implications for nature protection and management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical charcoal burning and coppicing suppressed beech and increased forest vegetation heterogeneity

Máliš

Bobek

Hédl

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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“…But from these data, it remains difficult to accurately characterise these processes with high spatial resolution, which are very variable from one upper valley to another (Galop and Jalut 1994). Unlike palynology, pedoanthracology (soil charcoal analyses) make it possible to identify the appearance or disappearance of woody taxa and to characterise woodland cover dynamics at a very local level (Touflan et al 2010;Saulnier et al 2015;Feiss et al 2017a). This discipline has been already used in the Pyrenees to study tree line variation (Cunill et al 2012(Cunill et al , 2013 and the creation of cultivation terraces in high mountain areas (Bal et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study of late Holocene local vegetation dynamics and responses to land use changes in an ancient charcoal making woodland in the central Pyrenees (Ariège, France), using pedoanthracology

Saulnier

Artigas

Foumou

et al. 2019

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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tailié, et al.. A study of late Holocene local vegetation dynamics and responses to land use changes in an ancient charcoal making woodland in the central Pyrenees (Ariège, France), using pedoanthracology. Abstract Human activities have profoundly transformed mountain woodland landscapes, particularly in the Pyrenees where they have intensified and diversified since the Bronze Age. Quantification of the role played by past practices with regard to woodland cover is critical for accurate assessment of how ongoing global environmental change may affect its dynamics in the future. A local study was made of charcoal remains from an ancient charcoal-making woodland (ca. 30 ha), the forêt de Bernadouze, located on a north-facing slope in the Vicdessos valley in the French central Pyrenees. This valley is well known as having had a long history of human influence related to pastoralism, iron ore mining and smelting. A total of 1,695 charcoal pieces from soils in three sampling pits was extracted, identified, quantified and dated in order to identify tree canopy openings and patterns of change in the woodland driven by past human uses. The results provide new and original insights regarding 1, the past higher biodiversity and the ancient character of the forêt de Bernadouze, 2, the dynamics and history of the main trees and 3, successive phases of human activity. We show that the current woodland has resulted from several millennia of human activities such as pasturing and use of the wood for making charcoal. From the Bronze Age, humans have progressively transformed a natural fir-dominated wood into a managed beech-dominated one, and caused the elimination of Taxus baccata L. (yew). 2

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“…Lightdemanding, early-successional taxa, while missing from current tree communities, were almost systematically more abundant than shade-tolerant species across the three sites. This suggested that the forest canopy used to be much more open than today, consistent with a savannah-like landscape maintained by the intense human pressure and heavy grazing by wild and domestic animals (Feiss et al 2017a).…”

Section: Box 142 Impacts Of Roman Settlements On Biodiversity and Eco...mentioning

confidence: 85%

A Historical Ecology of the Compiègne Forest (N France)

et al. 2022

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Historical ecology of lowland forests: Does pedoanthracology support historical and archaeological data?

Cited by 12 publications

References 44 publications

Historical charcoal burning and coppicing suppressed beech and increased forest vegetation heterogeneity

Historical charcoal burning and coppicing suppressed beech and increased forest vegetation heterogeneity

A study of late Holocene local vegetation dynamics and responses to land use changes in an ancient charcoal making woodland in the central Pyrenees (Ariège, France), using pedoanthracology

A Historical Ecology of the Compiègne Forest (N France)

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