🌳 The Black Death: a boon for nature

What if a human tragedy had given nature a second chance?

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the Black Death of the 14th century promoted the regeneration of Mediterranean forests. By analyzing century-old oak trees in Italy, researchers found that most of these trees grew just after the great pandemic, when the human population collapsed.

This discovery relies on carbon-14 dating, a method that allows dating even highly degraded wood samples. The scientists studied two species of oak: the holm oak on the island of Montecristo and the sessile oak in the Aspromonte mountains. Despite very different environments, both populations show an increase in regeneration at the beginning of the 1400s, coinciding with the demographic collapse due to the plague.


The carbon-14 dating technique proved essential, as many old trees have hollow trunks or barely visible growth rings. By measuring the radioactive decay of carbon, the researchers were able to estimate the precise age of small wood fragments. This approach showed that the oldest oaks approach 950 years, making them the oldest flowering trees in temperate regions. Their size does not reflect their age: some of the oldest have slow growth and a modest diameter.

The study also shows disparities depending on the study site. On the island of Montecristo, regeneration was rapid, with a peak establishment in less than a century. In the Aspromonte mountains, the return of the forest was slower, probably due to harsher environmental conditions and more severe prior degradation.

These results offer a new perspective on the ability of forests to regenerate. According to the authors, reducing human activities can trigger a rapid recovery of forest ecosystems, as happened after the Black Death. This lesson from the past is valuable for current policies on ecological restoration and adaptation to climate change. Protected forests act as natural laboratories where nature reasserts itself.


Finally, the discovery of these thousand-year-old trees reminds us of the urgency to protect them. The researchers insist that these oaks represent an irreplaceable natural heritage, threatened by global changes and invasive species such as wild goats. Conservation measures, combined with in-depth research, are essential to preserve these silent witnesses of history.