450 Forestry Quarterly. 



is decreasing and soils suitable for its production are not too fre- 

 quent. 



6. The Foothills of the Black Forest. A broad leaf forest type 

 occupies the foothills of the Black Forest from Ettengen to 

 Rastadt in the North and from Lahr to Emmendingen in the 

 South. The intermediate area is occupied by coniferous species 

 and will be included in the Silver Fir forests of the Black Forest. 

 The underlying soil is red sandstone and a little limestone. The 

 prevailing species is Beech with a little Oak and a few conifers. 

 The type differs, however, distinctly from that of the Bauland by 

 having always been High Forest. 



A comparison of this type with the forests of the Bauland is 

 very interesting. The silvicultural system adopted has been till 

 lately that of the old High Forest system in which scarcely any 

 thinnings at all were made and with only one story. It will be 

 found on comparison that the forms in this type compare very un- 

 favorably with those of the Bauland. The diameters are very 

 small and though having a slightly better height growth the trees 

 are not so cylindrical, since the bad forms were never cut out. 

 It may here be noted, however, that the sandstone formation of 

 these hills is not quite so suitable for the production of Beech as 

 the limestone formation of the Bauland, but this has only a minor 

 influence on the stands when compared to the silvicultural system 

 adopted. This fact is clearly demonstrated by one or two high 

 Beech forests (such as Heidlesheim near Bretten) to be found in 

 the Bauland. 



The rotation in these forests is lOO years and in a few cases up 

 to 1 20. Up to 40 years ago the forests were treated as pure Beech 

 forests for the production of firewood, but after 1870 the price of 

 coniferous timber increased so much that a good coniferous 

 species was widely planted, and in 1880 the mixtures of Gayer 

 were favored. 



The great drawback to most of these mixtures is that often 

 species were planted together whose silvicultural requirements as 

 to condition of moisture, light, rotation, etc., were quite different. 



Some Spruce has been planted on these hills, but does not 

 appear to be doing well especially when planted on a Southern 

 aspect. The temperature in summer is too hot, and the soil too 



