Language
Country/Area
No result found
The World of Forest Owners: Who is the real master of Germany's forests?
Germany's forest area covers 11.4 million hectares, accounting for 32% of the country's total area. It has about 90 billion trees and total wood reserves of 3.7 billion cubic meters. According to the definition of the Federal Forest Act (BWaldG), a forest is any area containing forest plants.
The definition of forest is not limited to trees, but also includes cleared areas, sheltered land, forest roads and other areas that serve the forest.
According to the third federal forest survey (Dritte Bundeswaldinventur) conducted in 2012, the total forest area in Germany reached 11,419,124 hectares. Within this forest, more than 11 million hectares are timber-producing forests and 364,962 hectares are non-timber-producing forests. Between 2002 and 2012, the total area of forests in Germany increased by 49,597 hectares, an increase of only 0.4% relative to the current forest area.
Who owns Germany's forests?
There are approximately 2 million forest owners in Germany, including individuals and public institutions. According to the definition of forest ownership type, forests can be divided into three types: state-owned forests, corporate forests and private forests. State forests are owned solely by the federal government or local governments, while corporate forests are managed by municipalities and public agencies.
Among them, 48% of German forests are privately owned, 29% are state-owned forests, 19.4% are corporate forests, and 3.5% are federal state-owned forests.
According to statistics, the largest forest owner in Germany is the Free State of Bavaria, which owns a forest area of approximately 778,000 hectares and is mainly managed by the Bavarian State Forest. The number of corporate forests is estimated to be approximately 60,000, with an average size of 38 hectares.
Diversity of tree species
According to a 2012 survey, 51 tree species were recorded in German forests. The most common tree species is spruce, accounting for 26% of the forest area. In addition, pine, beech and oak are also common tree species. Common tree species also include birch, ash, black elm, European larch, radiant garden and meadow maple.
Forest changes and tree species changes
Germany's forests used to be mainly composed of deciduous trees, but now they are mainly composed of coniferous trees. This change dates back centuries, when over-logging and war led to the depletion of forests. These areas were subsequently replanted, with hardy spruce and pine trees selected mainly because they could adapt to the harsher ecological conditions and provide abundant timber resources.
Facing the challenge of reconstruction, German forest owners and forestry experts demonstrated their cultural achievements and successfully revitalized this devastated land.
Over time, the forest area and owner structure in Germany have changed rapidly. This process not only affects the ecological environment, but also changes the lifestyle of many people. Is there really a "forest master" who will decide the future of Germany's forests?
