Identification of Charred Wood from an Ancient Charcoal Production Site in the Black Forest of Germany

Charcoal production sites serve as palaeoarchives and contain wood charcoal, which can be identified taxonomically and be utilized to obtain information and reconstruct the past vegetation, based on the occurrence of woody taxa. In the present research, the study material was collected from the Black Forest south of Freiburg (Germany), in the Schauinsland region. Charcoal samples were gathered from the surface as well as from various depths in the soil (30 cm, 60 cm and 90 cm). The main identified taxa were Abies and Fagus, almost at the same percentage of constitution, providing evidence for their growth in the area and their selection for charcoal production. The number of growth rings and samples dimensions were measured, in order to gather information of the climatic conditions and the productivity of those past time periods.