The charcoal discovery in the soils and sediments of the relic forest of Pinus nigra ssp Salzmanni near Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert allows us to establish a chronology of Holocene fires. Their origin dates from the Middle Holocene, but they are especially significant after the construction of the medieval abbey during the 9th century. The original pine plantation was heterogeneous, with another pine, Pinus sylvestris, which has now been eradicated. Changes ill the fire modes have been observed, recent human fires being generalized, which resulted in a significant regression of the forest cover, which was replaced by box-tree formations. (c) 2005 Academie des sciences. Publie par Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.
