Within the EU Germany is one of the most densily wooded countries. About 10.8 mill. hectares are covered by forests which makes almost one third of the whole area of the country. The forests in Germany are unevenly distributed as shown in the map of fig. 6. There are regional fluctuations in percent of the forested area from a minimum of 3% in the district of Dithmarschen (Schleswig - Holstein) in the north to about 70% locally in the northern part of the Black Forest (Baden Wuerttemberg) in the south of Germany. The map (fig. 6) informs about the forest distribution in Germany.
The growing understanding of the citizens for forests and the effective regulations of the Forest Law contributed to a reduction in the loss of forests in recent years. Since 1981 more areas have been afforestated than have been cleared.
The following table shows the tree species distribution in Germany (1995):
A: oak B: beech and other hardwoods C: pine and larch D: spruce and other softwoods Old Federal States A: 8% B: 23% C: 27% D: 42% New Federal States A: 5% B: 19% C: 54% D: 22% Total A: 8.5% B: 25.3% C: 30.8% D: 35.4%
Table 1: Tree species distribution in Germany (1995)
Fig. 6: forest distribution in Germany
Definition of "Wald" (= forest, woodland):
A forest ("Wald") in the meaning of the Federal Forest Act (Section 2) is "(1)... every tract of land planted with forest plants. Also to be rated as forests are clear-cut or thinned out tracts of land, forest tracks and roads, forest marking-off-safety strips, gaps in the forest cover as well as clearings, forest meadows, game feeding points, timber storing points as well as other areas connected with forests and ancillary to them. (2) Smaller lots planted with individual clusters of trees, with line-planted trees or with hedges or serving as forest nurseries and being situated on farmland or within built-up areas, are not forests within the meaning of this act. (3) The States may assign other tracks of land as forests; they may institute exemptions from the lagal definition of "forest" for christmas-tree plantations and plantations providing ornamental sprigs as well as for parks within residential areas."
Definition of "Schutzwald" (= Protective Forest Reserves):
"(1) Woodland can be designated as a protective forest reserve if there is a need to implement or to abstain from implementing certain forestry related measures in order to ward off or to avert risks, considerable impairments or considerable molestations of the public. The designation of woodland as protective forest reserve shall be considered as a possibility especially when addressing environmental-damage-protection ..., soil and wind erosion, erosion through desiccation, the harmful run-off of precipitation and avalanches ... . (2) ... (3) Any clear felling or any clearing activity producing the same effect shall require the authorization by the proper authority, as decreed by State Law. In order to preserve the functions of a forest the authorization can be issued with legal provisos attached, if necessary. (4) ..." (Section 12, Federal Forest Act)
Further definitions or details are acted upon the Federal States (e.g. "Bannwald", "Naturwaldreservat").
Definition of "Erholungswald" (= Recreational Forests):
"Woodland can be designated as recreational forest if public welfare requires protecting, looking after or structurally shaping forest areas for recreational purposes. Further details are acted upon the States. They can, in particular, impose regulations governing:
Types of forest ownership as defined in section 3 of the Federal Forest Act (1975):
(1) "A state forest ... is forest land under the sole ownership of the Federacy or of a State as well as forest land in joint ownership with a State but only in so far as it is held to be as a "state forest" under State regulations. (2) Corporate forest (= public-authority-administrated forest) ... is forest land under the sole ownership of municipalities, of their associations, of special-purpose-administrative associations as well as of other statutory corporate bodies, of incorporated Public-Law institutions and of foundations under Public-Law; excluded shall be: forest land belonging...
(3) Private forest ... is such forest land that is neither state forest nor corporate forest."
The following table shows the different types of ownership in the year 1989 and the situation after the German reunion 1990:
Old Federal States FRG in total
(1989) (1993)
Private Forests 45% 47%
State Forests 31% 34%
Corporate Forests 24% 19%
Table 2: Different types of ownership in Germany (the situation 1989 and after the reunion 1990)
Almost half of the forests belong to private owners, more than one third to the State and about one fifth are owned by corporations (primarily communities and towns). In Germany there are some 100 000 private forest owners. Most of them are farmers. Frequently they have small woodlots. Statistically the average size of these private forest areas is about 4.7 hectares, but most of them are small woodland parcels with an extent of less than one hectar. This splitting means substantial drawbacks in their management. Forest owners receive free consulting from the State Forest Office. In different Forestry Schools (e.g. Scheyern, Bavaria) they are offered extensive basic and advanced training opportunities. They also receive financial subsidies for silvicultural measures, road construction and forest mergers and they have the opportunity to join Silvicultural Link-Ups, e.g. Private Silvicultural Business Affiliations. These are private-law-combines of persons posessing land with the object of improving the management of their linked up forest areas and of the parcels of land assigned to afforestation; their further aims being, in particular, to overcome the disadvantages of small size, of unfavourable shape, of the fragmention of holdings or of other structural deficiencies.
The present State Forests were formerly a part of the royal forests, owned by former nobility or were monastrial or ecclesiastical property which were taken over by the State during the secularization of 1803. The average size of one forest-management-unit (forest district), s.c. "Forstamt", is about 2600 hectares forest owned by the State. Additionally each "Forstamt" manages a few thousand hectares of corporate or/and private forest. Extensive State Forests are found in the Upper Bavarian Alps as well as in the proximity of big cities like Munich and Nuremberg.
The beginning of landscaping in forestry reaches far back to the early 18th century. Comming from the English art of landscape gardening the geometric shapes and figures of the Baroque period had been substituted by plenty of natural shapes and patterns in order to emphasize the variety of native landscape elements. Examples in Germany for immitations of the British style of designing natural parks according to the Ornamented Farm of WILLIAM SHENSTONE (1714 - 1763) are the parks of Fuerst Franz von Anhalt Dessau (1764) and of Fuerst Pueckler in Muskau and Branitz which was designed with special reference to natural conditions (soil, climate, morphology) in northern Germany.
Various publications about the possibility of designing woodlands and improving the scenery within a forest management plan, whose prime objective was the production of wood, appeared at the same time, i.e. von CARLOWITZ, (1713), von LANGEN (1764), DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU (1763) etc.. All authors pointed out the equal status of natural beauty and natural yield. This remarkable statement had predicted progresses in landscape tending which took part not before the 1950ies in Germany. Already in 1795 Forest Aesthetics was a subject at the Institute of Forestry in Gotha.
In 1820 the famous German forester Heinrich von COTTA wrote that all forests should be treated for their specific purpose. This was the first idea of modern forest management based on multiple use forestry and regarding beneficial effects of woods. The substitution of native woodlands by managed forests results in an increasing significance of forests unmaterial contributions to national economy and welfare, according to modern Social Balances. For a long time those people involved in forestry and nature conservation were discussing the (monetary) value of those social contributions of forests for society.
Nowadays there is no doubt about, that biodiversity and natural beauty in our forests are a very important objective of modern forest management. Sustained forest management based on natural conditions and the multiple use of local forest sites takes into account all functions of forests to optimise rural resource potential.
Until the end of the 18th century forests were only seen as a resource for fuelwood, charcoal and constructive material for buildings ships and harbours. All physical and psychological effects of forests had less or no significance for the major population. Until the beginning of the 19th century people were not interested in the aesthetical effects of forests. In the second half of the 19th century the appearance of the soil rent theory (maximising monetary profit) replaced all aspects of an aesthetical forest improvement.
Due to the progressive industrialization and due to both world wars, the public interest was merely focused on wood production. Until the middle of the 20th century the social forest capacity, as an additional (and secondary) result of profitable wood production, was supposed to be good enough for socio-cultural use. The so called "Wake Theory" ("Kielwassertheorie") says that the social forest effects result in a profit orientated forest management. The idea that all social forest effects follow in the wake of profitable forest management is still in mind of many foresters. An absolutely new public attitude towards forests and their effects on society resulted in the improvement of common welfare. High population density, inreasing leisure time as well as the arising awareness of hazardous industrial impacts on nature and mankind let to a common understanding and acceptance of multiple-use-forestry, which takes into account all social functions of forests.