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German Forestry. Morgan Troendle Michael Haden. Objectives. History of German Forestry Current Trends Technology Future Outlook Comparisons to U.S. . History. German forests were source of power for nobles Concerns of shortages were developed so nobles had reason to develop communes
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German Forestry Morgan Troendle Michael Haden
Objectives • History of German Forestry • Current Trends • Technology • Future Outlook • Comparisons to U.S.
History • German forests were source of power for nobles • Concerns of shortages were developed so nobles had reason to develop communes • Having communally owned forests gave the nobles right to the money • Shortage worries were the reasons for development of a management system
History cont. • Began around 1800 • Replaced poor production areas with fast growing species – Norway Spruce, Scotch Pine • Staggered clear cuts to keep the wood supply continuous and reliable • Made Germany world renowned for its forestry habits
Problems with scientific forestry • Instead of 1/3 coniferous and 2/3 deciduous it was switched • Acid soils • Weak stands • Poor lumber sent to market which lowered prices
Nazi tree management • Taken control by Hermann Goring • No cutting of conifer stands younger than 50 years • No clear-cutting more than a certain fraction of the stand • Must select lesser trees to cut to allow stronger specimens to reseed • Forest owners were asked to introduce more broadleaf species
Nazis cont. • Did not satisfy needs for war effort • Goring fired and clear cutting rules relaxed • Sustainable practices did not return until 1990s
Forest facts • Cover 31% of Germany • 57.5% Coniferous – 42.5% Deciduous
Forest Ownership Cont. • 198,000 own <10 ha • 48,000 own 10 – 50 ha • 7,400 own 50 – 200 ha • 3,300 own 200 – 1000 ha • 1,400 own >1,000 ha
Government Assistance • 80% of costs for site preparation • 85% of costs for afforestation • Forestry and replantings • Pure broadleaves • Less than 20% conifer trees (50% for all coniferous species) • 60% of costs for tending operations in young stands
Government Cont. • There are also rewards for afforestation of 20 years: • 175 to 300 euro/ha for self-used arable land • 300 euro/ha for self used pasture • 175 euro for not self-used agriculture land
Economics of Forestry • German forestry lacks profitability • Private companies • Often solutions to problems aren’t solved correctly
Technology • German company first to use RFID • Tiny nail inserted in each log • Helps decrease inefficiencies between the cuting, harvesting, and processing of timber • Less paper trail and more of an electronic database
Black Forest • Mass logged in early stages of timber industry • Acid rain also killed many trees • Many bare areas still remain • A constant struggle to encourage re-growth of the forest to previous levels
German U.S. Comparison • German companies harvest 50 million cubic meters annually • The United States harvests 480 million cubic meters each year. • The U.S. companies are able to operate at profitable levels • The German industry is highly subsidized by their government