Charcoal from six Neolithic Funnel Beaker sites in the lowlands of Germany was investigated, providing information on the woods used at these sites. The species assemblages reflect the composition of the woodlands surrounding the sites, and represent the individual natural site conditions. Two of the sites are situated in wetlands (Oldenburg and Wolkenwehe). Here, high values of Alnus and Fraxinus were found, both typical taxa on wet soils. These taxa are also common at sites with a smaller proportion of wetlands (Triwalk and Flintbek), where Quercus is more important. At the two sites which are situated on dry soils further south-east (Ludelsen and Belleben), Quercus is the dominant taxa, and Pinus is more frequent. Besides the reflection of the forest composition, the impact of human activity on the landscapes can be seen in the assemblages. Light demanding species as Corylus and Maloideae show high values indicating an opening of the forests by Neolithic farmers. The Maloideae values are only low at Wolkenwehe and Ludelsen. At Wolkenwehe this can be explained by the potential activity range for wood collection on the surrounding wetlands and at Ludelsen by nutrient-poor soil conditions, which are also indicated by Pinus. An important aspect of charcoal analysis is to compare different sampling methods. In this study, results from handpicked charcoal can be compared with those from floated sediment samples for two sites. Some differences appear, for example higher values of Pinus in the floated samples. This may be explained with fragmentation processes or displacement.