138 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



XI. German Forestfy} By Fraser Story, Lecturer on 

 Forestry, Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of 

 Agriculture. 



In discussing this great subject of German Forestry, it is 

 natural enough to begin by asking ourselves the question : What 

 is German Forestry? Many of those present to-day have been 

 in Germany, and all here have read much of German methods, 

 yet I venture to say that every one would have difficulty in 

 defining exactly what German Forestry is. It has as its general 

 objects the production of timber for profit, the maintenance in 

 the country of a necessary commodity, and the provision of 

 healthful employment for a large section of the people. But 

 in treatment, German Forestry is one thing in Brandenburg, quite 

 another in the Harz or the Riesen Gebirge, and yet diff"erent 

 again in the Bavarian Spessart. After all, it is only the applica- 

 tion of correct principles of forestry to the forest, and the treat- 

 ment must necessarily vary with each locality. The Germans 

 are noted for their industry, science, and system. These qualities 

 they have brought to bear in the management of their woods, 

 but further than that, there is nothing particularly or peculiarly 

 " German " about German Forestry. 



The German forests extend over 35,000,000 acres — an area 

 greater by 3,000,000 acres than that under Agricultural occupa- 

 tion (crops and grass) in Britain — and as the forests are fairly 

 evenly distributed over the country, one is never far away from 

 large, well-managed woodlands. The kinds of trees met with in 

 different parts vary much more than they do in our country, 

 according to the soil, the local climate, and the altitude. Thus 

 one finds that, over the great sandy plain to the north and north- 

 east of Germany, the Scots pine occupies much the greater part 

 of the area. The hilly and mountainous districts (for example 

 the Harz and Thuringia) are almost wholly given up to spruce 

 and silver fir — these species being able to grow at high eleva- 

 tions, and thriving well in the more abundant rainfall of these 

 regions. 



' Lecture delivered at the Annual Meeting, 14th February 1904. Those 

 parts of Mr Story's lecture which were explanatory of the views shown upon 

 the screen have been omitted, as the illustrations cannot here be reproduced. 

 Mr Story is now Lecturer on Forestry, University College of North Wales, 

 Bangor. — Hon. En. 



