Leonel FOUEDJEU FOUMOU

PhD Thesis :

Experimentations and developments of the “charcoal‑kiln tool”: anthracological and dendrochronological approaches to Pyrenean forests.

• Supervisor : Didier GALOP (Research Director, GEODE UMR 5602 CNRS)
• Co‑supervisor : Vanessa PY‑SARAGAGLIA (Research Scientist, GEODE UMR 5602 CNRS)

The main issues that interest me concern the study of the impact of historical charcoal production, in connection with mining and metallurgical activities, on spatial and forest dynamics during the Late Holocene in the forests of Bernadouze and Arbu. This involves:

• Reconstructing, at high chronological/temporal resolution, through the study of tree‑ring growth in charcoal (novel approach), the main phases of charcoal production that strongly shaped the evolution of these socio‑systems,
• Better understanding historical silvicultural practices, that is, recovering the dynamic morphological management of forests, and
• Developing existing methodological tools/approaches in order to better interpret the anomalies and deformations (radial shrinkage cracks, vitrification, hyphae, cellular crushing…) frequently found in the anthracological corpus studied; which would make it possible to better characterize practices, technical gestures and the temporalities of charcoal production, in order to effectively assess their influence on forest dynamics.

Context :

The geohistorical and anthracological study of charcoal‑kiln platforms scattered across the mountain and supra‑forest areas of the eastern Pyrenees was decisive for assessing the role of metallurgical pressure on historical forest dynamics.
It notably highlighted the favouring of resistant and/or opportunistic species, such as beech, oak or mountain pine, to the detriment of fir, as well as the reconstitution of fir stands through the elimination of beech for charcoal production.
However, the processes apprehended over time proved to be complex and non‑linear. Socio‑historical rhythms (tensions, relaxations, etc.) do not necessarily correspond to environmental rhythms.
Changes and evolutions may be rapid and are difficult to grasp.They are always out of step with the events recorded in written sources.
Moreover, one of the major limitations of the “charcoal‑kiln tool” is chronological resolution.Radiocarbon dates present a confidence interval ranging from 80–100 calendar years to two or three centuries, particularly for periods of radiocarbon plateaus such as the modern era; these time steps being far too large to capture socio‑environmental dynamics at high resolution.
It is therefore in this first direction that this thesis aims to improve and develop the “charcoal‑kiln tool”. The charcoal preserved in the platforms will no longer be considered solely as taxonomic indicators (floristic composition of the exploited woodlands), but as climatic, ecological and socio‑environmental proxies.

Goals :

 

• Mobilizing the principles and methods of dendrochronology and applying them to the analysis of charcoal in order to deepen our knowledge of socio‑environmental dynamics, their rhythms and their pulses during the Late Holocene, particularly over the last 500–700 years.Cette méthode qui doit être testée permettrait de détecter des charbonnières synchrones, ce qui n’a encore jamais été possible jusqu’à présent et qui limite fortement la résolution chronologique des études.
   
• This method, which must be tested, would make it possible to detect synchronous charcoal kilns, something that has never been possible until now and which strongly limits the chronological resolution of studies.
   
• More precisely characterizing charcoal‑production practices, technical gestures, their temporalities, and their interactions with the complex and non‑linear dynamics and trajectories of the major Atlantic Pyrenean species — fir and beech — whose interspecific competition has been shaped, or even disrupted, by human activities and their legacies.µ
   
• Assessing the effects of regulations, prohibitions and preservation policies on uses and on the co‑evolution processes between metallurgy and forest stands.

 

University Education :

• 2016 - 2021: PhD in Geography
• 2015 - 2016 : Research Master II, Archaeology, Archaeological Sciences, Geoarchaeology and Bioarchaeology track. Paul Valéry–Montpellier III University.
• 2014 - 2015 : Research Master II, Geography and Planning, Environment and Landscape specialization, University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès.
• 2013 - 2014 : Research Master I, Geography and Planning, Environment and Landscape specialization, University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès.
• 2012 - 2013 : Bachelor’s Year 3, Geography and Planning, Physical Geography specialization, University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès.

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS AND STUDY DAYS
 

C : communication, P : poster
 

• Indexed Journals:

Saulnier, M., Py-Saragaglia, V., Cunill Artigas, R., Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Buscaino, S., Métailié, J.-P., Galop, D., (submitted, 15 June 2018). Late Holocene local-scale vegetation dynamics and responses to land-use changes in an ancient charcoal-making forest of the Central Pyrenees (Ariège, France): a pedoanthracological approach. Vegetation History and Achaeobotany, submitted.
 

• Book Chapters :

Py-Saragaglia V., Saulnier M., Cunill Artigas R., Fouédjeu Foumou L., Paradis-Grenouillet S., Buscaino, S. and Galop, D., 2018. Chapter 10. Long-term Forest Evolution and Woodland Uses in an Ancient Charcoal-production Forest of the French Eastern Pyrenees: an Interdisciplinary Approach with High Spatio-temporal Resolution. In: Paradis-Grenouillet S., Aspe C., Burri S. eds. Into the Woods, Overlapping perspectives on the history of ancient forests. Quae Editions, 441-519.
 

• International or National Symposia:

Py-Saragaglia, V., Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Saulnier, M., Cunill Artigas, R., Buscaino, S., 2017. "Origin of charcoal vitrification: new insights on seasonality of natural fire regime and/or human practices using fire? », 3rd International Workshop of Pedoanthracology, Limoges, France, 2017 (C.).
Saulnier, M., Py-Saragaglia, V., Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Cunill Artigas, R., 2017 : « The pre-charcoal making activity vegetation in a Vicdessos upper valley: a pedoanthracological approach in the Bernadouze catchment area (Pyrenees, France) », Into the Woods, Overlapping perspectives on the history of ancient forests, 18-20 April 2017, Padova, Italy (C.).
Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Py-Saragaglia, V., Paradis-Grenouillet, S., Cunill Artigas, R., Brun, C., Saulnier, M., Métailié, J.-P., 2017 : « Reconstruction with a high spatio-temporal resolution the past forest dynamics and charcoal making activities in an upper metallurgical valley in the eastern Pyrenees: first geoarchaeological, dendro- and anthracological results », Into the Woods, Overlapping perspectives on the history of ancient forests, 18-20 April 2017, Padova, Italy (P.).
 

• Seminars, Workshops, Ateliers or Study Days:

Py-Saragaglia, V., Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Saulnier, M., Cunill Artigas, R., Buscaino, S., Galop, D., 2018. « Anthropoconstruction sur la longue durée d’une forêt classée réserve biologique. La forêt de Bernadouze dans la vallée de Suc (Haut-Vicdessos, Pyrénées) », Séminaire annuel du Labex DRIIHM, Marseille, 8, 9, 10 octobre 2018 (C.).

Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Py-Saragaglia, V., Saulnier, M., Cunill Artigas, R., Paradis-Grenouillet, S., Buscaino, S., Galop., D., 2018. « Reconstruction de l’évolution de la forêt et des pratiques humaines sur la longue durée dans la haute vallée de Suc-et-Sentenac (Haut-Vicdessos, Pyrénées de l’Est): une approche interdisciplinaire à haute résolution spatio-temporelle », Séminaire annuel du Labex DRIIHM, Marseille, 8, 9, 10 octobre 2018 (P.) (Deuxième prix ex-aequo du comité scientifique).

Fouédjeu Foumou, L., 2017. « Reconstruction with high spatio-temporal resolution of past forest dynamics and charcoal-making activities in an upper metallurgical valley in the eastern Pyrenees: First geoarchaeological, dendro- and anthracological results », Atelier Doctoral Interdisciplinaire; études environnementales et sciences sociales: Temporalités, matérialités, sources et enquêtes. Rome, Ecole Française de Rome: 24 - 27 octobre 2017(C).

Py-Saragaglia, V., Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Saulnier, M., Cunill Artigas, R., Pescini, V., Paradis-Grenouillet, S., Métailié, J.-P., Barcet, H. et Buscaino, S., 2017 : « Dynamiques forestières holocènes de la forêt de Bernadouze et impact des pratiques métallurgiques historiques (Suc-et-Sentenac, Haut-Vicdessos) », Séminaire de l’Observatoire Hommes-milieux Haut-Vicdessos et Haute vallée du Gave, 22-23 mars 2017, Toulouse (C.).

 

• Public Lectures:​​​​​​​

Py-Saragaglia, V., Fouédjeu Foumou, L., Saulnier, M. et Cunill Artigas, R., 2017 : « Histoire des forêts du Haut-Vicdessos et de leurs usages à partir de leurs traces carbonisées », Séminaire grand-public de l’Observatoire Hommes-Milieux Vicdessos, Auzat, 7 avril 2017.