HISTORIC SKETCH 7 



Growth of the population, with the consequent increase in 

 the requirements for wood and other forest produce, led to 

 further legal enactments to prevent the destruction of forests. 

 In spite of these laws, reckless cutting continued to be 

 practised in Eastern Germany and other parts of Central 

 Europe up till the middle of the eighteenth century and even 

 later, the original object being to attract farmers to these 

 densely wooded but thinly peopled regions. Reaction, 

 in the latter part of the Middle Ages, led to restriction of 

 the use of forests, and this policy grew and gradually came 

 to be actively enforced. 



It was fortunate for the fulfilling of the regulations that 

 the pressing need for improved forest conservation was 

 backed by the authority of the sovereign, so that they were 

 no longer mere general resolutions passed by the community. 

 The practical aim of these laws was to replace the exploited 

 woods by new ones. It was observed that the growth of 

 self-sown seedlings depended upon the judicious admission of 

 light to the forest floor. When woods of Spruce and Silver 

 Fir were heavily thinned for timber, this was readily seen. 

 The trees left standing acted as parents, producing a subse- 

 quent crop of trees. 



In the course of the sixteenth century various improve- 

 ments on the former crude sylvicultural methods suggested 

 themselves. Amongst these may be mentioned the systematic 

 arrangement of the felling areas, the removal in the thinnings 

 not of the best but of the inferior classes of trees, the selec- 

 tion of good trees to produce seed, and the fostering of such 

 natural growth as was already present. 



The devastation of the Thirty Years' War not only put a 

 stop to all progress, but brought about a return of the old misuse 

 of the forest, and this continued till the end of the seven- 

 teenth century. When consideration was again given to sylvi- 

 culture, the initiative was taken in the north-west of Germany, 

 more particularly in the Harz Mountains. Most of the 

 credit for the revival of sound principles is due to the labours 

 and energy of Von Langen. The natural regeneration of 



