Published in 1976, this is a classic and has not been out of print since. What a pleasure to read it. Headings such as History, psudo-history, anthropology and the Triumph of Unreason’, Rackham sees the wood through the trees, or trees through the wood. I almost met him, but was far too busy sadly, and now dally in his shadow.
Native and naturalised – Sweet chestnut was introduced in Roman times. Sycamore in C16th. Rhododendron C19th. 50-70 native species, such as Ash, hazel, holly. elms, small leafed lime, oak,
Myth that woods were destroyed by medieval then tudor england for ships and houses.
Earliest wildwoods were birch, aspen and sallow. Around 8500 BC pine and hazel replaced birch. Pine followed by oak, alder, lime and elm, then holly, ash beech, hornbeam and maple
Destruction of wildwood. Elm decline 4000BC, elm disease, Neolithic and Bronze age. In East Anglia soil wildwood vanised never to return. , Bronze age, (2400-750bc) extended to Iron age, with axes, . Most of England ceased to be wildwood by 500BC. Deliberate grubbing out of limewoods presumably as they were on most rewarding soils. To convert tens of millions of acres of wildwood into farmland is the greatest achievement of our ancestors. How did they do it? Cattle grazing? As on modern Amazonia most of the trees that came from destroying wildwood were wasted.The oaks from Flag Fen cranog were typically less than a foot in diameter. Early Neolithic people had already made the discovery which is the key to woodland management: that the regrowth shoots from a stump are more useful than the original tree. The vital importance of undewood.
Wildwood from woodland – distinguished by the separation of woods from each other. By Roman times, the landscape similar to now. From pollen disgrame Diss ceased to be wooded by 1000BC.
Kaliwood 