The need for dendrochronology to improve the temporal resolution of charcoal manufacturing activity in the French Eastern Pyrenees: the case of the ancient charcoal production forest of Bernadouze (Suc-et-Sentenac, Haut-Vicdessos) - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2019

The need for dendrochronology to improve the temporal resolution of charcoal manufacturing activity in the French Eastern Pyrenees: the case of the ancient charcoal production forest of Bernadouze (Suc-et-Sentenac, Haut-Vicdessos)

Résumé

Improving the temporal resolution of charcoal production through the dendrochronological study of charcoal sampled from kilns is feasible. Recent studies, although few in number, have demonstrated the high dendrochronological potential of charcoal. Although subject to a very rigorous protocol, the main lock faced by the researcher remains the difficulty of obtaining sections of charcoal with sufficient growth rings. An experimental protocol carried out on oak showed that measurements on 50 to 60 rings improve the dating potential of charcoal and reduce errors (Blondel et al. 2018). In order to identify with high temporal resolution rapid and complex dynamics of forest ecosystems, we decided to apply the dendrochronology to charcoal kiln sites. Our objective is to go beyond the limit of radiocarbon dating in order to better locate the functioning of charcoal kiln over time, particularly those located on the modern radiocarbon plateau. We tested this approach on a kiln site that operated during the contemporary period in the forest of Bernadouze. This proposal for a communication presents the main steps of this experimental study as well as the expected results. It required three main steps. The first was to build a reference chronology based on 49 beech discs collected during a logging operation carried out in the autumn of 2016. Secondly, charcoals were sampled in the latest charcoal kiln site used in the 1930s, accurately located by the great-nephew of the last charcoal-maker of Bernadouze. Subsequently, a new reference chronology was constructed at the charcoal kiln scale using dendrochronological measurements of charcoal with a sufficient number of growth rings. Finally, the last step consists in crossdating the reference chronologies obtained from the two types of samples studied (live wood and charcoal). This final step will make it possible to assign the exact year of formation to the growth rings of the charcoal and date the charcoal's operating period. Up to now, the chronology on living wood, which is about 160 years long, is under construction. The 1930s charcoal kiln was partly excavated by an archaeological survey (5mx1m). Three samples were collected directly in the stratigraphic cut for micromorphological studies for detecting the number of terrace re-uses. The selected charcoals were prepared for dendrochronological measurements. This paper presents the first results of this analysis and proposes a suitable methodology for the dendrochronological study of the charcoal kiln terraces dated to the modern radiocarbon plateau (16th-20th c.)
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hal-04348424 , version 1 (16-12-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04348424 , version 1

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Léonel Fouédjeu, Vincent Labbas, Mathieu Lejay, M. Saulnier, Vanessa Py-Saragaglia. The need for dendrochronology to improve the temporal resolution of charcoal manufacturing activity in the French Eastern Pyrenees: the case of the ancient charcoal production forest of Bernadouze (Suc-et-Sentenac, Haut-Vicdessos). anthraco2019, 7th International Anthracology Meeting, anthraco2019, 7th International Anthracology Meeting, 2-9 September 2019, Liverpool (UK)., Dec 2019, Liverpool United Kingdom, United Kingdom. ⟨hal-04348424⟩
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