Forests and humans throughout history

Francesco Mauro - Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi, Roma

A brief history of the complex relationship between forests and modern man is traced. Emphasis is given to both the evolution of forests from the interglacial period prior to the last (Würm) glaciation to recent times and to the gradual increasing usage of wood and timber (for heating, cooking, housing, building, naval fleets, etc.) and the consequent exploitation of forests after the Neolithic revolution. The effect of agricultural practices and the occupation of space for farming is also described. Thus, the effects of fluctuating climatic and ecological changes and of anthropogenic causes are taken into consideration with attention to interacting ecological, economic, social, technological, and anthropological aspects. The history of forests and of humans is synthetically reconstructed for prehistoric times, ancient civilizations, the Middle Age, and modern times (underlining the effects of the manmade intercontinental transfer of species). Finally, the consequent current state of forests is schematically described together with possible future trends