Growth trends reveal the forest structure during Roman and Medieval times in Western Europe:: a comparison between archaeological and actual oak ring series (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea)

At some point in time, man has influenced nearly all forests in Western Europe. Most of the original forest cover has been converted to arable land and pastures, or has been cut for the supply of firewood and construction timber. In order to secure a sustainable source of firewood, the structure of the remaining forests was often altered. Especially coppice of European oak became increasingly popular during the Roman era and the Middle Ages. Ring-width series of oak trees from Roman times and Medieval settlements were recorded. In order to extract more detailed information regarding past forest structure and management, those series were compared to growth patterns of contemporary oak. The modern oaks were selected on forests sites in Flanders (northern Belgium) with well-known structure and management. Some remarkable similarities in growth patterns were observed. These findings yield tentative assumptions regarding past forest structure and management.