Shared on behalf of the Scientific Organising Committee:
We’re pleased to share the updated second circular for the 4th International Conference “Farming in the Forest”, taking place 4–6 April 2027 at Schöntal Monastery, Germany 
The conference brings together researchers across archaeology, palaeoecology, ecology, soil science and related fields to explore fire, farming, forest use and past human–environment interactions, including a half-day slash-and-burn experiment at Forchtenberg.
Pre-registration is open until 30 September 2026, and places are limited. Please feel free to share with colleagues and students who may be interested!
2nd_circular_Farming in the Forest 4-updated.pdf
RATIONALE AND AIMS
Since the early years of Neolithic research in Europe, the use of fire for forest clearance has been a subject
of debate. While the notion of Neolithic swidden cultivation had long been dismissed in Central Europe,
interdisciplinary studies in the Lake Constance region have revived the question of whether such practices
may indeed have occurred. Since 1998, the long-term Forchtenberg experiment has been investigating both the economic potential of fire-based extensive cultivation and its ecological impact on the natural
environment. With this nearly 30-year-long experiment, it is also possible to monitor the secondary
succession that follows anthropogenic disturbance.
The 4th “Farming in the Forest” conference seeks to bring together archaeologists, palaeobotanists,
archaeozoologists, soil scientists, ecologists, historians and geographers interested in pre-industrial
agriculture. Different modes of cultivation, ranging from horticulture to forest-fallow systems, that include the regular use of fire, will be discussed in terms of their economic potential and environmental impact.
Furthermore, different modes of livestock farming will be discussed in terms of interactions between fire,
pasture and animal husbandry, the integration of grazing into forest-use systems, and their economic and
ecological implications.
MAIN THEMES
- Fire as a land-use tool: the interaction between fire, agricultural production, pasture environments,
and animal husbandry, and the associated agricultural and pastoral systems, analysed through
archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and experimental frameworks - Recognising and recording palaeofire in archaeological and palaeoecological archives: standards
and methodological developments - Forest ecology under fire and associated disturbances: “the foodprint” of fire-related land use
patterns in the forest ecosystem - LOCATION
Scientific sessions:
04.-06.04.2027 at the Schöntal Monastery, Klosterhof 6, 74214 Schöntal, Germany, including half day slash
and burn experiment in the forest of Forchtenberg (N 49.298240, E 9.564071)
CONFERENCE HOME-PAGE:- https://wald-feldbau.de/tagung202627/