Since the early years of Neolithic research in Europe, the use of fire for forest clearance has been a subject of debate. While the notion of Neolithic swidden cultivation had long been dismissed in Central Europe, interdisciplinary studies in the Lake Constance region have revived the question of whether such practices may indeed have occurred. Since 1998, the long-term Forchtenberg experiment has been investigating both the economic potential of fire-based extensive cultivation and its ecological impact on the natural environment. With this nearly 30-year-long experiment, it is also possible to monitor the secondary succession that follows anthropogenic disturbance.

Current Situation:

Results of many years of research and experiments, publication from 2017:

Since the early https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313467362_Late_Neolithic_Agriculture_in_Temperate_Europe-A_Long-Term_Experimental_Approach

Participants of the 3rd International Schöntal Conference, 11-15 July 2012:

Team 2004: