ABSTRACT
The pre-industrial period was a civilization of wood par excellence. Wood was the primary source of energy, only partially rivaled by peat and coal where these raw materials were locally available and exploited. Throughout this period, cities were major consumers of wood. However, little attention has been paid to the environmental dynamics between cities and their woodland resources in the literature dedicated to urban history and the urbanization of Europe. Whether it is possible to distinguish between the specific impact of urbanization and the influence of more general patterns of exploitation and commodification of woodland resources, remains unclear. Highly urbanized since the end of the Middle Ages, the Southern Low Countries provide a fertile ground for testing traditional narratives and historical models as well as for developing a more in-depth picture of the relationships between cities and woodland resources. The first part of the chapter outlines the way cities were supplied with timber and wood products. The second part explores how these relationships were tied up to numerous factors, ecological, technical, social and political. In doing so, this chapter aims at uncovering new lines of inquiry for further research.
