Forest Types of Baden. 447 



The form of the overholders here is in the shape of a middle 

 forest tree, reaching in a short period rather large dimensions. 

 Beech may attain a diameter of 50-70 centimeters (20 to 28 

 inches) in 100 years in many parts of these forests, as the soil 

 is extremely fertile. The heights, however, are seldom more than 

 23-29 meters (30 feet). The crowns in most cases extend to 

 about 40-50% of the total height. 



In a somewhat longer period, the Oaks also will attain similar 

 dimensions to the Beech if they are seedling trees, but the majority 

 of them are only stump sprouts, and this fact becomes evident 

 after they are felled. The shafts of the Oaks are seldom clean on 

 account of being too much exposed during the middle forest cut- 

 tings when they become covered with water sprouts. Most of 

 these sprouts were afterwards pruned, but with no good effect, 

 because when an Oak is pruned so late in life it always produces 

 knotty timber. 



The former coppice has been much reduced and plays now the 

 role of a soil cover and nurse. 



Beech is everywhere the prevailing species, though there is quite 

 a large percentage of Oak in the older stands. In the younger 

 stands we find admixtures of Spruce, Silver Fir, Larch, Scotch 

 Pine, White Pine and here and there Douglas Fir, and amongst 

 broadleafed species Oak, Ash, Maple, with a little Walnut and 

 Poplar. These species are generally mixed after the ideals of 

 Gayer. 



Although the number of trees per hectare are too few in the 

 older stands and the crowns are too large, the forms are neverthe- 

 less to be preferred in most cases to those of the high forests 

 where thinnings have been neglected for years and where the 

 diameters are extremely small. Heyer says, that no species is 

 so well suited to heavy thinning as Beech and that over-cutting 

 in Beech stands is to be very much preferred to neglected thin- 

 nings. 



One of the chief difficulties that the foresters have to contend 

 with in this district is the rapid formation of a grass cover which 

 on this limestone formation, in the neighborhood of so much 

 agricultural ground, is at once produced whenever sufficient light 

 is let in. A good many mistakes have been made here in latter 

 times by planting pure cultures of light needing species, such as 



