German Royal Forest Academy Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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The German Royal Forest Academy (Konigliche Forstakademie) was the first public organization devoted to the scientific study of forestry, which began with the German Royal Forest Academy in the early 1800s. More and more students studied forestry and it spread around the world.

Noblemen have kept forested preserves for hunting and for wood products since the early Middle Ages. The dominance of forestry by hunting interests steadily declined after the mid-1800s, as the interests of German nobles turned to mining. Good-quality timber was needed to shore up mines, for smelting, and for cross ties for mine ore cars. However, it was soon recognized that the supplies of available timber affected mine profits. This gave rise to the concept of sustainable yield, and to the development of German forestry.

In Germany, especially in the lower mountainous areas, forests were common. Natural climate and soil conditions following the last Ice Age led to the development of these forests, dominated by the beech tree. It is very tolerant of shading by other species, such as oaks, maples, ash, cherry, popular, pine, spruce, and fir, except where the soil conditions are poor for beech trees. Other species were forced into areas of soil conditions that were excessively wet or dry, poor or very rich in nutrients, or located at high mountain elevations. By 1800 much of the original dense beech forest cover in Germany had been cleared for agriculture. Other areas had been virtually deforested. However, rural houses were usually built from wood, heated by wood, and by income derived from logging. Because there was a growing need for quality timber, afforestation programs began.

Over the following 200 years, the German forestry practice rebuilt the forests. The afforestation excluded the original beech in favor of oaks, pines, and other softwood trees. The softwoods were easier to grow and commanded a better price, but the oaks, while harder to grow, also commanded good prices. As these afforestation programs developed, large areas were in the hands of private landowners, whose interests were personal and commercial. As a consequence, timber companies own only a few German forest areas. In addition, the drive to increase timber yields and profits promoted the study of forests and forest management as a sustainable crop and as a family matter. As the 1800s progressed, the efforts to build sustainable timber lands in Germany led to the establishment of several forestry schools, the first of which was the German Royal Forest Academy established in Berlin in 1820. By 1900, forestry schools had been established in Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Wurtemberg, Baden, and Hesse. Several new sciences dedicated to the study of forest botany and management had also been established.

Heinrich David Wilchens became the first professor of forestry in Schemnitz, Hungary (today Banska Stiavnica, Slovakia). Other leaders who emerged to develop and spread the science of forestry included Carl Ludwig Obbarius, a forest warden in the Hartz Mountains who developed a school of forestry for one of the mining companies in Schweden. Dietrich Brandis went to India, where he laid the foundations of tropical forest management. Carl A. Schenck founded the Biltmore Forest School on the Biltmore Estate near Ashville, North Carolina. It was the first forestry school in the United States. At the time the only other scientifically trained foresters in America were Bernhard Fernow and Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot was the first chief of the United States Forest Service. Using money his father had gained from timbering, Gifford founded the Yale University School of Forestry in 1900. He was able to recruit and develop a professional cadre of foresters who were trained to engage in commercial forestry and conservation. He was also able to defeat John Muir’s campaign to return vast areas to nature.

Bibliography:

Aloys Hutterman, “History of Forest Botany (Forstbotanik) in Germany from the Beginning in 1800 until 1940;
Science in the Tension Field between University and Professional Responsibility,” in Berichte der Deutschen botanischen Gesellschaft (v.100/1-4);
Hans Lemmel, Festschrift zur Hundert-Jahr-Feier der Forstlichen Hochschule Eberswalde: 1830-1930 (Verlag von Fritz Linder, 1930);
S. Negi, Sir Dietrich Brandis: Father of Tropical Forestry (Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1991);
Narendra P. Sharma, ed., Managing the World’s Forests: Looking for Balance Between Conservation and Development (Kendal/Hunt Publisher, 1992).