Forest Types of Baden. 455 



Spruce is perhaps the most important workwood tree of Europe 

 and is able to withstand much lower temperatures than Silver Fir, 

 but is a somewhat more exacting species and demands especially a 

 good deal of moisture. On these high mountains the rainfall is 

 very much heavier than on the plains or in the lower altitudes, but 

 it falls oflf again on the Eastern slopes. 



The seed production of this species is very good but it is a 

 difficult species to regenerate naturally owing to the amount of 

 moisture required by the young seedlings and their inability to 

 survive a dry summer, and on the other hand the necessity of a 

 considerably greater amount of light than is required for Silver 

 Fir. In addition, as this species is shallow rooted, the stands can- 

 not be opened much, unless the trees have been educated for this 

 purpose by a system of heavy thinnings and have become wind- 

 firm. Consequently the silvicultural method almost universally 

 adopted is that of clear cutting and planting. 



This is the simplest of all methods, but its chief disadvantage is 

 that with this species, which has a wide spreading root system 

 near the surface of the soil, the young rootlets are apt to become 

 cramped or damaged during the process of planting. The bad 

 effects of this maltreatment are not immediately visible, but it has 

 been shown that such rootlets rot and give an opportunity for 

 fungi to obtain an entrance. The growth of these fungi is very 

 slow, and it is not until the first thinnings are made when the 

 trees have reached an age of 30-40 years, that the damage becomes 

 visible on the tree itself, and before the stands are ripe for the axe 

 it will be found that such trees are completely rotten. 



When, however, careful methods of planting are resorted to, 

 there is not much danger from this cause especially as at this high 

 altitude Spruce is able to shake off the attacks of most diseases 

 more readily. The young transplants used are 4 years old, and 

 nowadays about 6-7,000 plants per hectare (2,600 per acre) are 

 planted. The rotation varies between 100 and 120 years, and 

 might be reduced everywhere to 100 years. 



The thinning in these stands are not heavy enough and should 

 be increased and the stands underplanted with Beech, as the ad- 

 mixture of a broadleafed species keeps the soil in good condition 

 and prevents the formation of moss and raw humus. The fell- 

 ings are made in summer and in the beginning of winter, and the 



