Woodland exploitation by early modern military camps and their impact on the forest environment. Anthracological analysis from Ninove-Doorn Noord (1692–1693, 1745, Belgium)

Abstract

Few anthracological studies exist for the modern period (CE 1400–1900) in Europe, particularly for military camps. Nevertheless, wood was a principle strategical resource in the daily life of armies during conflicts. This paper focuses on the anthracological analyses of fire pits from a set of military camps located in Ninove-Doorn Noord (northern Belgium), dating from 1692, 1693 (Nine Years’ War) and 1745 (War of the Austrian Succession). The goals were to observe the dynamic of the landscape between the two periods of occupation and to improve our understanding of the firewood supplies of modern armies at a local scale.

This study focuses on the taxonomic identification of more than 8,000 charcoal fragments. In total, 116 samples from 72 structures were analyzed. The results revealed that the troops mainly gathered firewood in riparian formations dominated by alder, Salicaceae and ash. The charcoal assemblages of the earliest camp (1692–93) present a higher taxonomic diversity than those of the following camp (1745) – 16 and 14 taxa, respectively. Furthermore, the increase of Salicaceae charcoals in the 1745 assemblage suggests a degradation of the environment, probably due to anthropogenic pressure (forestry, agriculture, conflicts). These results highlight the potential of anthracology to improve our knowledge of the impact of warfare on woodland history.