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Anthracological analysis is increasingly used to reconstruct natural and anthropogenic woodland dynamics. Here, we combine macro-charcoal records from charcoal production sites (kiln sites) with such from archaeological sites to elucidate past forest composition and its dependency on past fuel economy and human resource management. The anthracological investigations of seven medieval smelting sites in the Harz Mountains provide detailed information about past fuel and woodland usage. First, the charcoal records allow for separation of chronological phases within the archaeological sites. Second, a selection of distinct wood species is identified for the different smelting activities (silver–copper-production). Third, in addition to reconstructing the human activities related to ore smelting, it remains possible to reconstruct the local vegetation in the surroundings of the former smelting sites. The new anthracological investigations of kiln sites in the Harz Mountains focus on higher elevations (>600 mNN) and date to (early) modern times, showing a temporal and spatial shift of woodland exploitation to more remote, higher elevated areas. As expected, all typical taxa of the natural montane woodlands were used. Thus, local topographical conditions and natural woodland composition mainly regulate wood usage rather than human selection. Picea abies is the dominant species in all the records. However, surprisingly, local scale expansion of the montane beech woodland (Calamagrostio villosae-Fagetum) was identified, which reaches areas that today are fully covered by spruce woodland. Thus, the new results contradict the previously accepted assumption that the Harz Mountains above 750 mNN were covered by pure, natural stands of spruce until the 17th century. A recommendation for the woodland conservancy concept of the Harz national park, which includes tree planting to push woodland renaturalization is to add the planting of Fagus and Acer in elevations above 600 m. |
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