410 Forestry Quarterly 



The practical result of these suggestions was that between 1860 

 and 1870 such investigations were begun by niimerous German 

 states, but without proper organization. Prussia began to solve 

 problems of the removal of forest litter; Brunswick and Saxony- 

 instituted investigations in thinning; Bavaria established stations 

 for the study of forest meteorology and also began investigations 

 in the removal of forest litter; and numerous other states, like 

 Wiirttemberg, Baden and Hesen, began similar studies. 



The subject of the actual organization of forest experiment 

 stations was introduced by an article which appeared in 1867 by 

 Gayer, entitled On Forest Experiment Stations, Particularly in 

 Bavaria, while, in 1868, Baur's work on Forest Experiment Stations 

 also introduced a formal plan of organization. These plans con- 

 stituted the foundation for further discussions and served as a 

 guide in the establishment of forest experiment stations a little 

 later. 



In a meeting of German foresters in 1868 a committee of five 

 was chosen and instructed to formulate a plan for the organization 

 of investigative work in forestry and to indicate problems whose 

 solution was most urgent. This committee consisted of Wessely, 

 G.Heyer, Ebermayer, Judeich and Baur, and met at Regensburg in 

 November, 1868. The result of the work of this committee was 

 the organization of forest experiment stations in Baden (1870), 

 Saxony (1870), Prussia (1872), Wiirttemberg (1872), Brunswick 

 (1876), Hessen (1882), Alsace-Lorraine (1882), and Bavaria (1882). 



The introduction of forest experiment stations in Germany 

 brought new life into almost every phase of silviculture. Carefully 

 planned and executed experiments were instituted to solve the 

 many complex silvical and silvicultural problems that had baffled 

 empiricists for centuries. From that time on silviculture, relieved 

 of the shackles of empiricism, made progress along scientific lines. 

 These stations developed the experimental phases of forestry and thereby 

 inaugurated the era of modern forest ecology. 



The proposal of the Regensburg committee to organize an asso- 

 ciation for the promotion of the common interests of forest investi- 

 gators led to the formation in 1872 of the Association of German 

 Forest Experiment Stations. The most important work of this 

 association is the adoption of uniform methods and principles in 

 carrying out investigations so that results will be comparable. 



Following the good example set by (jerman states, other forestry 



