Former charcoal kiln platforms as microhabitats affecting understorey vegetation in Mediterranean forests

Production of wood charcoal is an ancient form of anthropogenic forest use that existed for millennia in Mediterranean countries and only vanished in the last century. As a result, thousands of abandoned charcoal kiln platforms still occur in present-day woodlands. Because of peculiar light and soil properties, the understorey vegetation at these platforms may differ from the surrounding stands. Our study investigated, for the first time, the effects of abandoned kiln platforms on understorey vegetation diversity, composition and biomass production in forests of aMediterranean area.