Dendrochronological evidence for Scotland's native timber resources over the last 1000 years

摘要

This paper reviews the dendrochronological evidence for native Scottish timber in historic buildings and archaeological sites, using tree-ring data which cover a 1000 year period. This records a millennium of enormous changes in the timber supply in Scotland. Prior to 1450, native oak dominates the record, much of it long-lived material originating in the 10th and 11th centuries. In the mid 15th century, at a time when the state recognises the degradation of the Scottish woodlands, there is an almostwholesale shift to imported oak timber which persists into the 17th century. At this time, Norway cuts off its oak supplies and imported pine becomes most prevalent thereafter. The reasons for the demise of native oak timber are considered in the context of possible inadequacies in resource management in the face of a worsening climate. The tree-ring evidence for the later, and largely localised, exploitation of the native pinewoods for timber is also considered.