© 1997 by Institute of Chartered Foresters
Forestry tradition in the long term A Review of Franz Heske (1927/1928): ‘A general review of post-war forestry in Central Europe’
1 Bezirksregierung Hannover, Am Waterlooplatz 11, D-30169 Hannover, Germany
2 Institut für Forsrpolitik, Forstgeschichte und Naturschutz der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
The review of Heske's analysis after 70 years shows a general trend in increasing timber production for West Germany and Austria as well as for the central planned economies of Eastern Europe. The growing stock has almost doubled.
Economic results of forestry, however, decreased significantly after World War II in West Germany and Austria. Prices of raw wood in real value in 1990 reached only half the figure of 1950. Production costs could not be brought down enough to guarantee forest profits. At the same time, demands for non-wood benefits increased. A mixed ownership of state, community and private will again characterize forestry in all Central European countries, as the young democracies started re-privatizations of forest land after 1989. Due to changes in agriculture the type of small private ownership has changed and increasing needs for budget fundmg caused reform activities in all state forests. So broader concepts of forest policy will be needed in the future.
Sustainability, the key issue of Central European silviculture, today is as ‘modern’ as it was in 1927. Heske's postulate of general continuity in all silvicultural procedure has survived. Ecological development is now seen as the basis of silviculture in sustainable multiple use forestry in Central Europe.