Exploitation of the submerged forest

Some news of the submerged forest exposures at Tywyn prompted me to take a look at the Coflein record, and there I found a great photographic record  - and a reminder that there are 70 known exposures of the submerged forest (variously referred to as "intertidal peat beds" since trees are not alway present) across Wales.

The photos above are all from Tywyn, showing in graphic detail how the peat beds were at one time seen as a valuable resource.  The rectangular cuts and even the marks of the cutting tools are still perfectly clear to see.  I'm not sure when this practice to peat cutting finished, but it could well be as late as WW2.  After all, if you live near the shore and have a fuel resource within striking distance, why not get out there and use it?

As we can see, in places the peat is more than a metre thick, but I'm not sure how effective it might have been as fuel, since there seems to be a high content of silt and clay.

In the sections we can see that the lowest layer exposed is a bluish clay, which seems to grade upward into a pure peat near the surface.  the organic content seems to increase steadily from the base to the surface -- showing a gradual expansion of vegetation.  Was there simply an upward growth of the ground surface, happening faster than the gradual rise of sea-level, leading to a transformation of a tidal shoreline into a freshwater lagoon or bog?

There are plenty of other examples of the exploitation of the submerged forest, ranging from the collection of clay for pottery making or for the making of "culm balls" in places like Amroth and Wiseman's Bridge, to the collection of tree branches and logs for firewood on many beaches after storms,  to the more systematic collection of timber by craftsmen and builders (as at Borth).  Some of the larger trunks have clearly been cut with heavy saws.........

====================

Bell, M, 2007, Prehistoric Coastal Communities: The Mesolithic in Western Britain, CBA Research Report 149, pg2
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, 2004, Coastal Protection Scheme Archaeological Assesssment Report 555
Smith, G, Davidson, A and Kennedy, J, 2002, North Wales Intertidal Peat Survey, report 450, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, figure 4.4

RCAHMW, 20 January 2014

https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/524780/details/submerged-forest-tywyntowyn