Surviving on the edge: the role of medieval and modern age charcoal production in the stand composition of colline beech woodlands in NE Hungary (EC Europe)

This study examines historical forest compositional changes in the Aggtelek Karst region, Hungary, focusing on the relationship between medieval and modern age charcoal burning sites (32 kilns) and the current vegetation. Our aim was to determine woodland composition during the intensive charcoal burning period using wood charcoal analysis and compare it with the present canopy composition to understand Fagus sylvatica (European beech) population dynamics at the margin of its range. Heat map visualization, cluster analysis and Procrustes analyses were used for comparison. The results show European beech as dominant taxon in charcoal spectra in some places, while Quercus, possibly Quercus petraea (sessile oak), and Carpinus betulus (European hornbeam) dominated in others. The findings suggest that beech had varying abundance in the potential beech habitats during the medieval and modern age coppice phases. We found multidirectional changes in canopy composition. Carpinus betulus and Q. petraea dominated the current stands in most cases with F. sylvatica being subordinate. These results suggest that historical forest use and management practices took place in already mixed canopy forests, where Fagus dominance was confined to a few stands only. We demonstrate that the forest stands plausibly represent different stages of secondary succession after last coppice management, leading to varying Carpinus abundance. We discuss the possible role of climate change (summer heat waves, increasing mean annual temperature) and conclude that F. sylvatica and Q. petraea compete with each other in the study region, confirming a transitional zone between the classical Fagus and Quercus climate.