Charcoal and Wood Work Group

CWWG meetings

Next meeting

We are currently hoping to hold the next meeting in May 2026 (location tbc). 

Minutes of previous meetings

• Oxford (June 2012)
• Worcester (March 2013)
• Cambridge (May 2014)
• York (October 2015)
• Birmingham (joint Archaeobotany and CWWG meeting April 2018)
• York (June 2023)
• Lancaster (2025). Minutes will be published here in due course.

CWWG weblist and contact for the group

The Charcoal and Wood weblist provides a digital forum for discussion, the dissemination of notices about conferences, meetings and publications, and promotes communication with international colleagues and researchers.

The CWWG can be contacted through the weblist or contact Dana Challinor direct: dana.challinor@gmail.com

Useful resources

1) Identification text and keys

Books and journal articles

• Gale, R and Cutler, D 2000 'Plants in archaeology: identification manual of artefacts of plant origin from Europe and the Mediterranean' Otley: Westbury Publishing
• Greguss, P 1959 Holzanatomie der europäischen Laubhölzer und Sträucher. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó
• Hather, J 2000 'The identification of the northern European woods: a guide for archaeologists and conservators' London: Archetype Publications
• Phillips, EWJ 1941 ‘The identification of coniferous woods by their microscopic structure’ Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany 52 (343), 259–320
• Richter, HG, Grosser, D, Heinz, I and Gasson, PE (eds) 2004 ‘IAWA List of Microscopic Features for Softwood Identification’ IAWA Journal 25(1), 1–70. Published for the International Association of Wood Anatomists at the Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Leiden, The Netherlands
• Shigo, AL and Marx, HG 1977 'Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees'. [CODiT] Agriculture Information Bulletin 405, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 1–73
• Schweingruber, FH 1990 'Microscopic Wood Anatomy: Structural Variability of Stems and Twigs in Recent and Subfossil Woods from Central Europe' [digital reprint available]
• Schweingruber, FH 1990 'Anatomy of European Woods: An Atlas for the Identification of European Trees, Shrubs and Dwarf Shrubs' [digital reprint available]
• Wheeler, EA, Baas, P and Gasson, PE (eds) 1989 ‘IAWA List of Microscopic Features for Hardwood Identification: with an Appendix on non-anatomical information’ IAWA Bulletin 10(3), 219–332. 4th printing 2007. Published for the International Association of Wood Anatomists at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, Leiden
• White, L and Gasson, P (2008) Mahogany. Kew: Kew Publishing

Online databases

• InsideWood Database [international scope]
• Schoch, W, Heller, I, Schweingruber, FH and Kienast, F 2004 'Wood anatomy of central European Species'. Online version
• Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI)’s Wood Database [Japan]
• Kew’s Jodrell Laboratory Microscope Slide Collection [slides being digitised but not available online yet]

Charcoal and/or wood collections

• IAWA Secretariat 2025 'Index Xylariorum 4.2' published as the 'Overview of Wood Collections'
• Scheel-Ybert, R 2016 ‘Charcoal collections of the world’ IAWA Journal 37(3), 489–505 [Journal of IAWA – the International Association of Wood Anatomists]

2) Sampling and recording methodologies and resources

Books and journal articles

• Gärtner, H and Schweingruber, F 2013 'Microscopic Preparation Techniques for Plant Stem Analysis'. Download for free
• Marguerie, D and Hunot, J-Y 2007 ‘Charcoal analysis and dendrology: Data from archaeological sites in north-western France’ Journal of Archaeological Science 34, 1417–1433

Online resources

• Charcoal Analysis Web by Eleni Asouti
• Integrated Archaeobotanical Research Project (charcoal and waterlogged wood)

Wood identification recording sheets

Historic England is creating a series of wood recording sheets to help standardise the recording of features and characteristics commonly encountered on archaeological wood (waterlogged and charcoal). Currently, two sheets for recording wood anatomical features for the basis of wood identifications (of NW European taxa) are available:

If you have any comments and suggestions on these, please email the author.

Wood technology and morphology

• Sands, R 1997 Prehistoric Woodworking: the Analysis and Interpretation of Bronze Age and Iron Age toolmarks London: Institute of Archaeology, University College London [reprinted in 2016 by Routledge]

Wood recording

• Allen, S 1994 The illustration of wooden artefacts: an introduction and guide to the depiction of wooden objects Association of Archaeological Illustrators and Surveyors, Technical Paper 11
• Milne, C and Milne, G (eds) 1994 ‘Section 3.4 Recording Timber and Timber Structures’ in MOLA 1994 Archaeological Site Manual Museum of London Archaeology Service, Third edition, [73–87]

Wooden artefacts

• Earwood, C 1993 Domestic Wooden Artefacts in Britain and Ireland from Neolithic to Viking times. Exeter: University of Exeter Press.
• Morris, CA 2000 ‘Craft, Industry and Everyday Life: Wood and Woodworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York’, in (ed.) PV Addyman The Archaeology of York: The Small Finds Volume 17, Fasc. 13, 2073–2452. Published for the York Archaeological Trust by the Council for British Archaeology.

3) Historic England research reports

Historic England produces reports publishing results of research carried out both internally by in-house specialists and that commissioned to external specialists. You will be able to find reports relevant to wood and charcoal analysis using the keyword search facility on the research reports homepage.

Historic England also produces regional reviews on specialist subjects, of which the wood/charcoal ones are:

• Northern England (Huntley 2010)
• Southern England (Smith 2002)
• Midland Region (Murphy 2001)

4) Wood identification training courses

Below is a list of some wood identification courses available. Note that inclusion here is not necessarily an indication of endorsement by Historic England – interested parties will have to make their own enquiries and form their own opinions.

• Wood Identification course, Kew, UK
• International Course on Wood Anatomy & Tree-Ring Ecology, Switzerland
• 1^st International Training School on Wood Identification, Romania
• 9th International Training School: Quantitative Wood Anatomy Using ROXAS, Italy

5) Relevant conferences and meetings

• Anthraco2026, Thessaloniki, Greece – 9th International Anthracology Meeting – 6–10 July 2026
• Anthraco2023, Porto, Portugal – 8th International Anthracology Meeting
• Anthraco2019, Liverpool, UK – 7th International Anthracology Meeting
• Anthraco2015, Freiburg, Germany – 6th International Anthracology Meeting
• Anthraco2011, Valencia, Spain – 5th International Anthracology Meeting

6) Other events

Once common sights in the woodland landscape to make charcoal, a traditional charcoal ‘earth burn’ is now a rare sight in England. If you would like to learn more and help keep this practice alive there are opportunities to volunteer: 

• annual May charcoal burn, Dean Heritage Centre, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. This usually takes place over the first May bank holiday weekend. Contact edwina.bell@btinternet.com for more information.

NB this event is not run by Historic England, so you will need to make your own enquiries directly with the event co-ordinator and form your own opinion about attending.