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Het structuren uit de Eerste Wereldoorlog aan de Potyze, konden, in grote lijnen, onderverdeeld worden in een drietal fasen: een vroege loopgraaf uit 1915, een uitgebouwd loopgravenstelsel (1915-1917) en een artilleriepositie (1917-1918). Het onderzoeksgebied bevindt zich in een sector die altijd in geallieerde handen is geweest.

In a medieval tower in the Tallinn Old Town wall there is a wooden internal door that was suspected of being rather old. The age of the door was determined using dendrochronology. It was possible to measure tree rings from the lower ends of the oak planks of the door. Matching the ring-width series with oak references from northern Europe revealed that the door was over 600 years old, and still in place in medieval Bremen Tower in Tallinn, Estonia. The ring-width series of the door was most similar to oak chronology from the Daugava River. However, this does not mean that the door timbers originate from that region. At present, we do not possess Estonian oak chronologies extending back to that time. Thus, the provenance of the oak for this door remains undecided. The dendrochronological date of the door, AD 1394���1411, can be confirmed and can be narrowed by documentary evidence to AD 1400���1410., Aoife Daly and Alar L����nelaid are indebted to European Research Council project TIMBER: Northern Europe's Timber Resource ��� Chronology, Origin and Exploitation, grant agreement No. 677152. Kristina Sohar was supported by Mobilitas Pluss returning researcher's project MOBTP35 financed from the European Regional Development Fund.

Climate model projections suggest widespread drying in the Mediterranean Basin and wetting in Fennoscandia in the coming decades largely as a consequence of greenhouse gas forcing of climate. To place these and other “Old World” climate projections into historical perspective based on more complete estimates of natural hydroclimatic variability, we have developed the “Old World Drought Atlas” (OWDA), a set of year-to-year maps of tree-ring reconstructed summer wetness and dryness over Europe and the Mediterranean Basin during the Common Era. The OWDA matches historical accounts of severe drought and wetness with a spatial completeness not previously available. In addition, megadroughts reconstructed over north-central Europe in the 11th and mid-15th centuries reinforce other evidence from North America and Asia that droughts were more severe, extensive, and prolonged over Northern Hemisphere land areas before the 20th century, with an inadequate understanding of their causes. The OWDA provides new data to determine the causes of Old World drought and wetness and attribute past climate variability to forced and/or internal variability.

In Flanders, large-scale exploitation of the landscape was initiated in the tenth century by abbeys and by powerful landowners like the Count of Flanders. As a consequence, a lot of forested areas were converted into arable land and the remaining forest and woodlands became highly fragmented. It is estimated that in Flanders the lowest forest cover ever was reached by the end of the thirteenth century. It is known that from the thirteenth century onwards, Flemish towns imported massive amounts of construction timber. However, the wholesale depletion of local forests and the associated timber supply is contradicted by many archaeological discoveries of wooden structures built from local material. The provenance of such historical timbers can be determined by tree-ring analysis. Most probably, scarcity was not the sole factor behind the large-scale importation of construction timber. Quality, or rather the lack of high quality-timber on the local market, must also have played a role. During the Middle Ages the practices of coppicing and coppicing with standards were widely applied. These types ofwoodland management are highly productive and make it possible to harvest firewood and small-sized lumber in a relatively short time. However, these management practices are not best suited to the production of large quantities of straight-grained and high-quality construction timber. Due to the lack of large quantities of high-quality local timber, the importation of construction timber became increasingly important. An examination of the fourteenth and fifteenth century municipal accounts of several Flemish cities reveals that at least three major source regions can be identified for the timber imported into Flanders: the Baltic harbours and Scandinavia in the north, the forests along the Rhine, and the Ardennes and Meuse regions in what is now southern Belgium. Dendrochronological research into roof constructions in Bruges, Ghent and Oudenaarde demonstrates that the timbers were often imported from forested regions along the River Meuse. The trees were felled, tied together to form a raft and floated downriver to the coast. Eventually, most of these rafts arrived at the timber market in Dordrecht, from where they were shipped to Damme, the port for Bruges. In the Bruges municipal accounts, the town of Dordrecht is frequently cited as the place where timber was purchased for civil construction projects. This timber was also in demand further inland where it was used for large roof constructions. Although it is known that Baltic oak was imported, such timbers were never used for construction, but for more delicate applications such as panelling, staves or sculptures. A constant feature of medieval wood construction in Flanders is the use of oak, with only a few known examples of elm being used instead. Coniferous wood, although mentioned in the municipal accounts, was rarely used in historical wooden construction in Flanders. During the Middle Ages, widespread human intervention in local forests (timber harvesting, conversion to farmland), left them highly fragmented. While still able to produce everyday construction timber, local forests were no longer able to meet the ever-growing demand for high-quality construction timber., Bulletin KNOB, Bulletin KNOB 114 (2015) 3

Kristof Haneca – Groene veteranen. Levende getuigen van de eerste wereldbrand. [Green veterans. Living witnesses of the First World War.], In en rond de voormalige frontzone in de Westhoek veroorzaakten niet alleen het oorlogsgeweld, maar ook de grootschalige ontbossing als gevolg van de grote vraag naar constructie- en brandhout, een desolaat en boomloos landschap. Of toch niet helemaal? In de buurt van het voormalige front blijken verrassend genoeg enkele oude bomen wel degelijk de oorlog overleefd te hebben. Kristof Haneca wijst op het bestaan van deze zeldzame reuzen, misschien zelfs talrijker dan gedacht, die in zich letterlijk de wonden dragen van de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Ongeliefd bij houthandelaren door de talrijke inclusies van metaal, zijn ze vandaag de nog levende getuigen van een honderd jaar oud conflict., Eva Bouton, Thomas Coomans en Pascal Delheye – De neogotische gymnastiekzaal van de voormalige Rijksnormaalschool te Brugge in cultuurhistorische context. [The Neo-Gothic gymnasium of the former State Teachers’ College in Bruges in a cultural-historical context.], Vaak ten onrechte vergeleken met de gotische schuur van Ter Doest is de neogotische gymnastiekzaal van de Brugse stadsarchitect Louis Delacenserie niettemin een architecturaal unicum. Gebouwd in 1880-1883 volgens de richtlijnen van het officieel onderwijs, is dit voornamelijk houten interieur nog altijd even indrukwekkend en monumentaal qua afmetingen en materiaalafwerking. Het heeft zijn oorspronkelijke functie al die jaren kunnen behouden en is beschermd als monument. Het toenmalige getouwtrek tussen de Duitse en de Zweedse gymnastiekscholen is af te leiden uit bepaalde keuzes van binnen afwerking en turntoestellen. Eva Bouton, Thomas Coomans en Pascal Delheye bestudeerden dit merkwaardig ontwerp vanuit hun uiteenlopende disciplines en gingen tevens op zoek naar nog andere historische gymzalen uit die periode., Thomas Van Driessche, Geert Bossaert en Herman van den Bossche – Het bloeiende grafveld van de Duitse militaire begraafplaats Hooglede bestendigd. [Restoration of the German military cemetery in Hooglede.], De militaire begraafplaatsen in de Westhoek zijn vandaag schreeuwende aanklachten tegen oorlogsgeweld dat zoveel individueel en familiaal leed veroorzaakte. Toch is er verschil in aanpak. De Commonwealth begraafplaatsen benadrukken met hun rechtopstaande individuele melkwitte grafstenen in strak gelid op keurig gemaaide grasvelden de triomf van de overwinnaars. Op de Duitse militaire verzamelbegraafplaatsen uit de jaren 1950 vervangen platte naamstenen en verspreide groepen van 5 kruisen thans de originele individuele gedenktekens. In Hooglede rusten de Duitse gesneuvelden in een bloeiend heideveld onder bomen. Thomas Van Driessche, Geert Bossaert en Herman van den Bossche doen het relaas van het ontstaan, de evolutie en de recente restauratie en herinrichting van deze begraafplaats., Summary

This study addresses the provenance of two Roman river barges and a Roman punt excavated along the limes of Germania inferior near the Dutch city of Utrecht (De Meern 1, 4 and 6). To establish the geographical origin of these vessels, their tree-ring series are compared to 1452 dated oak (Quercus robur/petraea) growth patterns from Roman-period sites in the current Netherlands and Belgium. The strong resemblance to patterns of oak used in the civitas Menapiorum and the bordering region of civitas Nerviorum in Gallia Belgica indicates that the ships were built with oak from the lower-Scheldt region in present-day Flanders (north-western Belgium). Given the absence of Flemish oak in Roman land-based constructions along the Dutch limes, this provenance implies that the vessels were constructed in the lower-Scheldt region. The geographical location of the final wreck sites of De Meern 1, 4 and 6 points at economic relations and inland-navigation routes between this region and the Rhine-based limes of Germania inferior.

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Natasja De Winter - De abdijsite van Sint-Truiden: een archeologische evaluatie en waardering. [The abbey site of SintTruiden: an archaeological evaluation.], Ook al waren abten soms uitmuntende waarnemers en documentalisten van het verleden, hun kronieken – hoe gedetailleerd en betrouwbaar ook – volstaan niet voor de reconstructie van een abdijgeschiedenis. Die noodzakelijke ‘extra’ kennis zit vaak verborgen in de bodem: een uiterst kwetsbaar archeologisch archief. Voor de abdijsite van Sint-Truiden is dit niet anders. Natasja De Winter inventariseerde en evalueerde alle nog beschikbare informatie en adviseert een archeologische bescherming als garantie voor kennisbehoud., Jos Gyselinck – Herwaardering van de Sint-Truidense abdijsite na de brand van 1975. [Revaluation of the Sint-Truiden abbey site after the fire.], De dramatische brand in 1975 van de toren en sommige gebouwen van de abdijsite in Sint-Truiden betekende eveneens een nieuw begin. Het duurde even voordat een globaal concept tot stand kwam voor het geheel van de site. Restauratie van de onderscheiden gebouwen was een eerste stap, de ontsluiting en rehabilitatie een tweede, niet minder belangrijke opdracht. Jos Gyselinck volgde deze evolutieve aanpak van dichtbij op., Anne Embs met medewerking van Madeleine Manderyck – De Fraikincollectie in Herentals: lotgevallen van een gipscollectie uit de 19de eeuw. [The Fraikin collection in Herentals: fortunes of a 19th century plaster collection.], De mooie collectie gipsen beelden van de gevierde 19de-eeuwse beeldhouwer Charles-Auguste Fraikin was een eeuw lang te bewonderen in het Herentalse stadhuis, tot deze - spijtig genoeg kenschetsend voor andere gipsverzamelingen in België - verspreid geraakte over verschillende locaties. Anna Embs en Madeleine Manderyck wijzen op het belang van dit soort kunstcollecties en dromen hardop van een 're-creatie' van een Fraikinmuseum., Marjan Buyle en Kristof Haneca - De reliekkast van Sint-Dimpna in Geel: balanceren tussen legende en wetenschap. [The reliquary of Saint Dymphna in Geel: balancing between legend and science.] Restanten van een oude stenen sarcofaag in een 14de-eeuwse houten kast in een 16de-eeuws beschilderd schrijn in een glazen omkasting! Erfgoedonderzoekers Kristof Haneca en Marjan Buyle bogen zich elk vanuit hun specialisatie over de merkwaardige 14de-eeuwse reliekkast van de heilige Dimpna: ooit prachtig beschilderd en met mooi smeedwerk opgesmukt, nu onzichtbaar bewaard en nog steeds door de pelgrims vereerd in de kooromgang van de gotische Dimpnakerk in Geel., Summary

Mimi Debruyn – De wondere wereld van een 18de-eeuws receptenboek voor Kunst-Schilders, Vernissers, Vergulders en Marmelaers. [The wondrous world of an 18th century book of recipes for painters, varnishers, gilders and marblers.], In 1777 publiceerden de gebroeders Gimblet in Gent een receptenboek voor de kunst- en decoratieschilders van hun tijd. Dit encyclopedisch kookboek viel onder de aandacht van Mimi Debruyn, die er enthousiast in grasduinde op zoek naar wetenswaardigheden over de materialen en technieken van de toenmalige exterieurafwerking en binneninrichting., Ilse Boeren, Kris Vandekerkhove, Sara Adriaenssens, Dries Tys, Koen Deforce, Kristof Haneca en Jan Bastiaens - Relicten van houtskoolmeilers in het Zoerselbos. [Remnants of charcoal kilns in the old woodland Zoerselbos.], Thans één van de meest waardevolle bosgebieden in Vlaanderen was het Zoerselbos, tot het begin van de 19de eeuw, het tafereel van een belangrijke economische activiteit: de productie van houtskool. De overblijfselen hiervan – recent en bij toeval ontdekt – zijn slechts voor een geoefend oog zichtbaar en in Vlaanderen nauwelijks gekend. In opdracht van het agentschap Ruimte en Erfgoed trok een team van wetenschappers op verder onderzoek uit en werden de meilers in het Zoerselbos geïnventariseerd, onderzocht en geëvalueerd met het oog op hun behoud voor de toekomst., Guido Cuyt – Archeologisch onderzoek door vrijwilligers in Vlaanderen. [Archaeological research by voluntary workers in Flanders.], De directeur van de Nationale Dienst voor Opgravingen wist het 30 jaar geleden al: “Er zijn maar twee soorten archeologen, namelijk goeie en slechte. En beide soorten vind je zowel bij de beroeps- als bij de amateurarcheologen”. De amateurarcheoloog, vroeger verguisd en later geherwaardeerd, dreigt de dag van vandaag opnieuw verdrongen te worden. Is er nog een toekomst? Guido Cuyt - zelf een gepassioneerd amateurarcheoloog - schetst de evolutie van de amateurarcheologie in Vlaanderen en pleit meteen ook voor bezinning en herprofilering., Lieve Viaene-Awouters – Heraldiek in Vlaanderen. Dertig jaar Vlaamse Heraldische Raad. [Heraldry in Flanders. Thirty years of Flemisch Heraldic Council.], Wapenborden en heraldische voorstellingen zijn sinds de vroege middeleeuwen in Vlaanderen van grote historische betekenis. Al 30 jaar waakt een raad van deskundigen over het historisch en heraldisch verantwoord toekennen van nieuwe wapens en over hun uniform gebruik. De raad formuleert tevens adviezen ten behoeve van de bevoegde minister en probeert een antwoord te bieden op de wildgroei aan logo’s die hand over hand toeneemt. Een overzicht van drie decennia Vlaamse Heraldische Raad door Lieve Viaene-Awouters., Summary

Throughout human history, forests and woodlands in Western Europe experienced a high anthropogenic influence. In densely populated areas forests were cleared and converted to arable land or were exploited for the supply of firewood and construction timber. In Flanders, it is estimated that the forest cover by the end of the 13th century was even lower than in the 19th century. To date, several assortments of timber, available on the local wood market during the Roman era and the Middle Ages, have become part of our cultural heritage. Archaeological remains, historical buildings, panel paintings and religious sculptures are only a few examples of constructions and objects that were created by processing wood. Especially European oak (Quercus robur L. and Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) was highly esteemed by craftsmen. Tree-ring series of oak have the characteristic that they tend to crossdate. In other words, ring-width series display a certain element of synchronicity between remote sites. This feature allows to use dendrochronology, i.e. the scientific study of tree-ring patterns, as a dating tool. However, in Flanders tree-ring dating has seldom been applied and has often led to inconclusive results. Especially archaeological oak timbers or wood from historical buildings is often characterized by short (less than 50 years) and variable growth patterns. Therefore, it was assessed and demonstrated that such series have a potential for dating purposes and chronology building. It is believed that the high anthropogenic pressure on the original forest cover has stimulated the implementation of short rotation systems. Past forest management interventions and forest stand structure development are recorded in the growth patterns and the wood anatomical structure of archaeological and subfossil wood. By comparing them with growth patterns of contemporary trees from stands with well-known stand structure and management history it was noticed that the same patterns are encountered. Consequently, it is now possible to distinguish wood specimens that originate from, for instance, a coppice stand or a high forest by scrutinizing their growth patterns. Moreover, close observation of the wood anatomy, for instance, the size and distribution of earlywood vessels, provides an image of the variability in past hydrological conditions. Tree-ring series from wooden sculptures and panel paintings from 15th-16th century display a completely different nature. Since local timber sources mostly provided small sized and fast grown timber, craftsmen started to look for high-quality oak. Such assortments became available due to the establishment of an important timber trade. Especially oak timber from the Baltic region was imported. By studying the growth patterns on historical art objects it becomes clear that medieval woodworkers were well aware of the intrinsic variability and technological properties of the imported oak timber. Moreover, analysis of extensive datasets of tree-ring series from historical art objects provides more insights and information on the original timber source, wood processing activities and the creative process. It is obvious that dendrochronology has become more than a dating tool in (pre-) historical studies. This work demonstrates that it is highly valid to approach Flanders’ precious cultural heritage, created out of wood, from a multidisciplinary point-of-view, where archaeology, art-history, wood technology and biology should play an important and valuable role.

This volume contains extended abstracts from talks and posters presented at the fifth TRACE (Tree Rings in Archaeology, Climatology and Ecology) conference that was held in Tervuren (Belgium) between April 20 to 22 of 2006. The annual TRACE conferences seek to strengthen the network and scientific exchange of scientists and students involved in the study of tree rings. This annual conference is an initiative of the 'Association for Tree-Ring Research' (ATR). One goal of this conference is to give young scientists and students the opportunity to present concepts, ongoing and finished work. The conference was hosted by the Laboratory of Wood Biology & Xylarium of the Royal Museum for Central Africa and the Laboratory of Wood Technology of Ghent University. The organizers were pleased to welcome an international group of 90 scientists and students from Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, The Netherlands, Mexiw, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the USA. The participants all presented excellent oral and poster presentations and discussed their current research. In total, 34 talks were presented, covering the fields of Cultural Heritage (3), Climatology (7),Glaciology (l), Isotopes (5), Geomorphology (4), Ecology (8) and Wood anatomy and Cambial activity (6). Furthermore, 39 posters were displayed to the audience. Two invited speakers gave a talk about the study of tree-ring patterns in wooden cultural heritage. Prof. Dieter Eckstein focussed on dendro-provenancing, where tree-ring studies are used to document and to reconstruct the historical timber trade in Europe. Prof. Partick Hoffsummer gave an overview of his exhaustive work on roofs from historical buildings in Northern France and Belgium, and the evolutional patterns that can be observed in their construction. As an overall conclusion of the conference Prof. Fritz Schweingruber plead for an integration of dendrochronology and wood anatomy to improve their mutual performance. The editors of the TRACE proceedings 2006 are delighted to present 34 extended abstracts of tree-ring studies that were communicated during the conference. We would like to thank the reviewers for their valuable comments on the first versions of these manuscripts. Furthermore, the organisers would like to thank the participants for the lively discussions and enthusiastic exchange of ideas. Also, the contribution of our sponsors, Fund for Scientific Research of Flanders, the Belgian Science Policy, Olympus Belgium and RinnTech, was highly appreciated. We hope to meet you again very soon!