Ancient and Mature Forests (AMFs) represent only a tiny fraction of Europe's forests. However, these forests are home to a unique biodiversity, thanks to a wide variety of habitats and a high degree of naturalness. These AMFs’ ecosystem qualities, resulting from long periods without human intervention, do not mean that AMFs have not been exploited or managed in the past before being designated as subnatural forests. In this study, we want to explore what role did AMFs play in providing timber for past local construction? In the framework of the Bendys project, which aims to study the past trajectories of European subnatural fir and beech forests, we applied a pluridisciplinary approach to reconstruct long-term forestry practices since the 16th century in Barrada AMFs located on the northern slope of the Pyrenees (Gavarnie-Gèdre, Haute-Pyrénées, France).