Woodland Management as Major Energy Supply during the Early Industrialization: A Multiproxy Analysis in the Northwest European Lowlands

Cláudia Oliveira, Jonathan Bouquerel, Xavier Rochel, Nasrin Karimi-Moayed, Dimitri Vandenberghe, Johan De Grave, Koen Deforce, Simon Devin and Vincent Robin
Additional contact information
Cláudia Oliveira: LIEC—Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Continental Environments UMR 7360 CNRS, University of Lorraine, CNRS, 57070 Metz, France
Jonathan Bouquerel: LIEC—Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Continental Environments UMR 7360 CNRS, University of Lorraine, CNRS, 57070 Metz, France
Xavier Rochel: LOTERR, University of Lorraine, 54000 Nancy, France
Nasrin Karimi-Moayed: Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Dimitri Vandenberghe: Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Johan De Grave: Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Koen Deforce: Archaeology Department, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Simon Devin: LIEC—Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Continental Environments UMR 7360 CNRS, University of Lorraine, CNRS, 57070 Metz, France
Vincent Robin: LIEC—Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Continental Environments UMR 7360 CNRS, University of Lorraine, CNRS, 57070 Metz, France

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: Wood and charcoal were key sources of energy during early industrialization in Europe (18th century), preceding the large-scale exploitation of fossil coal. Past timber harvesting implied land transformation and woodland resources management. Therefore, relict charcoal kilns and historical documents of forest management are important sources of information about past woodland composition and structure. However, ancient charcoal kilns are poorly documented in temperate woodlands in the lowlands of western Europe, especially combined with historical written sources. In this study, charcoal production was investigated in an area in NE France, by combining charcoal and historical sources analysis, along with innovative dating methodologies. Thus, by using both radiocarbon and optically-stimulated luminescence dating, we showed that the activity lasted until recent times (19th–early 20th centuries) and Carpinus was the dominant taxon in charcoal assemblage. Moreover, kiln attributes seemed to be independent of topographical variables. Woodlands in this area were subject to a coppice-with-standards management, where small diameter wood was preferred to produce charcoal and large diameter stems, mainly Quercus and Fagus , were traded as timber. The dominance of Carpinus is rather uncommon in charcoal studies but supports the importance of Carpinus as fuelwood since the Middle Ages, as confirmed by many written sources.

Keywords: charcoal kiln; charcoal production; Carpinus betulus; historical records; OSL dating; radiocarbon dating; Northeastern France; timber harvesting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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