The Forests of the British Occupation Zone of Germany

London

1946

S. 26-31

Bandaufführung

182080

By good forest management Germany achieved a high integration of its wood requirements and silvicultural practice. This integration is now threatened. Forest devastation in other European countries will place heavy burdens on the forests of the British Zone, which comprise but 15% of the total forest area of prewar Germany, while the zone itself supports1/3 of the German population. Data are given on ownership of forests and distrib. of species. Only 5 spp. are of major importance[long dash]Quercus robur, Q. petraea, Fagus sylvatica, Finns silvestris, and Picea abies. No exotic has found a sound foothold in German forestry. This probably is due to unsuitable habitat conditions, and to the difficulty of introducing a new timber into a trade accustomed to handling large quantities of timber of a single sp. Despite marked deterioration of the soil under spruce stands, spruce continues to be grown because of the high economic return it gives. Silvicultural practices, sustained-yield forestry, and utilization are discussed and the difficult problem of maintaining a balance between utilization and forest management is reviewed. The author concludes that over-cutting, carried out according to plan, need cause no permanent disablement of the forest economy.