From Forests to Heritage 2024 Conference

From Forests to Heritage Conference brings together researchers studying forests, timber and wooden cultural heritage. Contributions can cover the following fields: forest research, forest ecology, architectural history, cultural heritage studies, dendrochronology, art history, and literature studies, or others.

In 2024, the conference is organized in Helsinki, Finland, at 18th century Sea Fortress Suomenlinna from 28th to 31st May 2024.

Background

The conference is dedicated to the processing of wood in the past for production of architecture, buildings, furniture, works of art, ships and other timber structures. We aim to bring together a diverse group of dendrochronologists, wood scientists, art historians, architectural historians, archaeologists, museum collection curators and scientists from all around the world to exchange the latest insights, methods and ideas related to the study of wooden cultural heritage.

During this conference, research on historical wooden objects and structures that results in a better understanding of past timber exploitation and trade, forestry practices, wood provenance, supply chains, timber assortments, woodworking techniques and craftsmen’s skills will be presented. Furthermore, we encourage contributions that explore novel methods for non-invasive research on historical art objects and analytical techniques that allow to pin-point the provenance of the wood.

We also invite you to conference excursion to old Finnish forests and (timber) built heritage sites normally not open to the public.

Keynote: Marta Domínguez-Delmás

Wood culture unveiled: writing the biographies of forests, objects, and peoples

Wood has been an indispensable raw material for the development of civilisations and cultures since ancient times. Woodlands provided fuel, construction timber and wood for domestic utensils and artefacts. When they were lacking nearby, or were not accessible due to regulations, or could not provide the required timber product, timber was sought further afield. The exploitation of woodlands by humans shaped landscapes and biodiversity in ways that we are only beginning to comprehend. 

This keynote delves into the intricate realm of wood culture, from the selection of trees for construction in Early-Neolithic pile-dwelling sites, to the stories encapsulated in wooden artefacts, the luxury commodities reflecting social status or the fashion of the time, the timber trade, and the ancient forestry practices that have shaped current landscapes. Historic forests, wooden artefacts, structures and timbers not only represent tangible heritage of specific historical contexts, but also embody intangible cultural practices that have been passed on through generations. The intricate stories embedded within them can only be uncovered through interdisciplinary studies. Our research unveils the biographies of forests, objects, and peoples, and is an essential step for heritage preservation and sustainable resource management, but it also contributes to a deeper appreciation of the cultural significance of wood in our collective history, enhancing its relevance for our future.

Dr. Marta Domínguez-Delmás is a tree-ring scientist with a multidisciplinary background in Forestry (BSc, MSc) and Cultural Heritage (MA, PhD), and over 20 years of experience researching living trees, (pre)historic wood from archaeological sites, historic buildings, shipwrecks, and art objects. Her speciality is the study of tree rings in wood from the cultural heritage to find out the date and provenance of the wood, and when possible, of the objects. Her research interests focus on how humans have used, managed, and traded timber resources in different periods, the improvement of methods to pin-point the provenance of historic timber and the development of non-invasive techniques to study tree-rings in works of art. She has worked on several international multidisciplinary projects, leading four of them as Principal Investigator. She has made important contributions to the field of dendroarchaeology, developing reference datasets for northern and central Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, exploring the use of biochemical screening and strontium isotopes for wood provenancing, and promoting the use of dendrochronology to study wooden cultural heritage in different parts of the world. Her research has demonstrated the power of combining archival sources with tree-ring research to gain knowledge about historical sites, ancient forestry practices, and environmental dynamics, further advancing knowledge by implementing multidisciplinary approaches. Currently she works as a Senior Scientist at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (the Netherlands), which hosts the second largest wood collection in the world besides numerous ethnographic collections.

Schedule

20.2.–6.5. Registration
28–31 May 2024, Conference
1 June, Post-conference excursion

Organisers

Aalto University, Architectural History and Conservation
University of Eastern Finland, Forest Ecology
Finnish Heritage Agency           
The Governing Body of Suomenlinna                                                                                                     

Conference Venue

The conference will be organized in Suomenlinna sea fortress in the seafront of Helsinki. Suomenlinna is one of the largest sea fortresses in the world, founded in 1748. In 1991, the Suomenlinna fortress was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique monument of military architecture.

The conference takes place at Tenaille von Fersen, old granary of the fortification’s bakery from 1775, nowadays a conference and banquet venue.

Organizing committee

Panu Savolainen (Aalto University, head of the committee), Tuomas Aakala (University of Eastern Finland), Liisa Seppänen (Aalto University), Marko Huttunen (Livady Architects), Miia Perkkiö (The Governing Body of Suomenlinna), Pekka Heikkinen (Aalto University), Jouni Taivainen (Finnish Heritage Agency)

Scientific board

Announced in Spring 2024

Contact

[email protected]