An international study led by the University of Freiburg, based on the analysis of 20,000 wooden finds from antiquity, demonstrates that the forests of Northern and Western Europe were intensively used during the Roman period and that older stands were felled.

The forests north of the Alps were already extensively used and reshaped by humans in antiquity. In particular during the Roman period (approx. 1st century BCE to 5th century CE) there was intensive timber use in the area between the Alps and the Atlantic. This is shown by a new international study led by the University of Freiburg, which evaluated over 20,000 wooden finds from antiquity in Western and Central Europe. The study was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

“With the expansion of the Roman Empire north of the Alps, improved transport infrastructure and organization allowed the exploitation of previously unused forest stands. Only in Late Antiquity did the forests recover from this intensive use,” explains Dr. Bernhard Muigg, lead author of the study and research associate at the Chair of Forest and Forestry History at the University of Freiburg.

Study analyses over 20,000 wooden finds from antiquity

For the investigation, the international research team collected over 20,000 wooden finds from antiquity, whose age could be precisely determined by absolute dating. The samples originate from France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. This wide spatial distribution allowed the identification of both regional differences and supra-regional trends. The study period extends from the Late Iron Age to the early Middle Ages (300 BCE to 700 CE). This enabled the researchers to make diachronic comparisons of pre-Roman, Roman, and post-Roman developments.

Crises of the Roman Empire are evident in the wood

The data show that the north-Alpine forests were already heavily exploited in pre-Roman times. During the Roman occupation, however, relatively old forest stands served mainly as a source of construction timber. The researchers attribute this to improved transport infrastructure, which made previously unused hinterland forests accessible. From the 3rd century CE onwards, the average age of the trees decreased markedly, coinciding with the disappearance of very old trees (200+ years old). This indicates local overexploitation of forests, the researchers say.

In this phase, political crises of the Empire also become apparent: the decline in trade and timber transport can be inferred from the reduced number of coniferous wood and timber containers such as wooden barrels found from this period. In Late Antiquity (approx. late 3rd to 5th century CE), reforestation occurred, which is indirectly evidenced by the growth of early‑medieval old trees.

“The data we have collected provide an important contribution to the interdisciplinary study of antiquity. They deepen the understanding of the ecological and socio-economic consequences of Roman expansion and deliver new insights into the long-term interplay between human activity and forest dynamics,” says Muigg.