American Trees in German Forests 



By J. S. Illick 



UPOX examining the maps showing the distribu- 

 tion and the structure of the forests of Germany 

 in the years i:5()0 and 1900, one will be aston- 

 ished by the wonderful change that has taken place 

 within a period that represents but a few generations 

 of trees. Unquestionably man has played the leading 

 part in effecting this change. A considerable portion of 

 the history of Germany during these six centuries is 

 written in blood. Frequent warfare between over two 

 hundred independent states upon an area that now com- 

 prises the German Empire, and later the increase of 

 population, the opening of agricultural lands, the devel- 

 opment of industrial enterprises, and the destructive 

 work of lumbermen present a picture of change and 

 progress which enables us in part to comprehend the 

 important role that man played in changing the original 

 forest distribution. 



The present structure of the German forests differs 

 far from what nature originally placed there. Man has 

 improved upon nature's methods by rearranging the 

 indigenous species and by introducing exotic species. 

 The major part of these structural changes came after 

 the advent of forestry. The plains along the valley of 

 the Rhine were originally covered mainly with hardwood 

 species. The records of early military expeditions, as 

 well as the structural material found in houses built cen- 

 turies ago but still in existence, bear evidence of this 

 hardwood forest. Today many parts of this same area 

 are covered by a coniferous forest, in which Scotch pine 

 is the chief participant. In the sixteenth century 

 the Saxon "Erzgebirge" were covered mainly with fir 

 and beech, but since the time of Henry von Cotta, the 

 king of spruce and "father of conservative forestry," 

 we find that these same areas are now almost completelv 

 covered with spruce. The demand for tan bark intro- 

 duced the coppice system of handling oak. The substitu- 

 tion of chemical tannage for vegetable tannage has re- 

 duced the demand, and hence the oak coppice forests are 

 rapidly disapi)earing. In many places beech and oak on 

 account of their long rotations are being replaced by 

 other species. A great many of the German forests are 

 in a transition stage, which is gradual and cumulative in 

 favor of the conifers. The present participation in the 

 forest structure of the coniferous and broad-leaved 

 species expressed in per cent is Cu.'} and 32.5, respec- 

 tively. The hardwoods before the advent of forestry had 

 a higher percentage than they have today. 



Of less magnitude than this rearrangement of the 

 indigenous species, but of as vital significance, has been 

 the introduction of exotic sjjecies especially from Amer- 

 ica and Japan. The main causes that actuated the intro- 

 duction of foreign species were the fear of a fuel famine, 



922 



commercial enterprise, aesthetic inclinations, silvicul- 

 tural experimentation, and the limited number of native 

 species of commercial importance. The first American 

 tree introduced into Germany was the eastern Arbor- 

 vitae in 15()(). This was followed by the black locust in 

 ICOl, the bald cypress in 1640, the tulip tree or yellow- 

 poplar in 1G63, the red cedar in 1664, the balsam fir in 

 1(i!)7, the white spruce and black spruce in 1700, and the 

 white pine in 1705. The importation has continued, and 



BLACK LOCUST TREES 



Six specimens of black locust 18 inches in diameter. Trees to the right 

 are Kuropean larch. They are located near the old castle at Herren- 

 chiemsee, Bavaria, Germany. 



at the present time practically every species native to 

 .America can be found somewhere in Germany. Some 

 of the species that were introduced early have developed 

 such excellent records that they are now regarded as 

 naturalized members of the German forests. A few 

 species are eligible for citizenship at the present time, 

 v.'hile many other species, particularly those from western 

 North America, have been introduced so recently that 

 judgment with reference to their qualification for citi- 

 zenship must be deferred until more complete data are 

 at hand. 



