A CSÍKI-MEDENCE KÖZÉPKORI KÖRNYEZETI VISZONYAIRÓL
ON THE MEDIEVAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF THE CSÍKI BASIN

Summary/Abstract: The Ciuc-basin is known as one of the coldest regions of the country, where the forests are mainly formed of pines and this vision is regularly projected to the Medieval Times. Archaeological data does not confirm this presumption, on 3–15th century sites often appear carbonised oak pieces. Oak timber elements can be found also in medieval churches and manors. From the 3–4th and 16–17th centuries there are several data regarding intensive metallurgy activities which needed a huge amount of hard wood, namely oak and beech. The former oak forests are mentioned in the written sources, their memory is proven by the place names and also by pollen-data of environment history researches. The main conclusions of the paper are: the better climate conditions of the post-roman and medieval periods were more likely with those of central Transylvania and allowed the development of local human communities. The internal low-situated (oak) forests were cleared continuously specially in the 17–18th centuries. Once the climate changes of the small ice-age its effects were stronger in the Ciuc-depression due its high altitude and thermic inversion phenomenon. In these conditions the competition between species was won by the pines. The present flora and forest situation of the intra-mountain depressions was formed by the fallowing factors: human interventions (clearing), cooling of the climate (“little ice age”) and competition among the species. The projection of the present environment situations into the historical times could lead to erroneous interpretations.

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