Mittelwald
A middle forest is a historical form of forest construction . Two forms of cultivation are combined: the coppice forest with its short rotation times and a lower class of the same age , and the high forest with its long rotation times and a mostly unequal upper class .
Features and management
The middle forest consists of two tree layers, the upper wood, which is allowed to grow old, and the undergrowth, which is harvested extensively as firewood about every 30 years. This stratification develops since with harvesting of the coppice desired well-grown tree trees left standing. These were light tree species such as oak , ash or poplar that produced timber . These core growths (so-called "Lassreisel") have similar functions as the overhangers in the high forest. They allow natural rejuvenation in the undergrowth. Furthermore, in this form of forest they develop mighty crowns that represent refuges for numerous animal and plant species.
Later they started to bring in the upper class through plantings. Oak was particularly popular because it not only provides valuable timber, but also enables pig fattening in autumn . Many Central European oak and hornbeam forests can be traced back to medium-sized forest management.
The term "Mittelwald" comes from the forest scientist Heinrich Cotta , who first used it in his book Instructions for Silviculture (1817). The medium-sized forest "is practically a coppice forest in which you always let individual, particularly good trunks - mostly oaks - grow older and harvest only after they have reached a useful wood diameter."
Until a few years ago, the medium-sized forest economy was in decline. Around 1% of the federal German forest area is currently still used as low or medium-sized forest. Former medium forests are being converted into high forests . In Kehrenberg in Central Franconia there is a still in use and scientifically well-researched forest area. In the Lower Franconian community of Iphofen there is an approx. 380 hectare medium forest. This has been used by the residents of the city of Iphofen for over 500 years. The Hörnauer Wald nature reserve in the Schweinfurt district is also used as a medium-sized forest. In the Bielefeld city forest , medium-sized forest management is carried out on a small area as part of an educational trail . In France this form of forest management is much more widespread than in Germany (in 1963 it was 48%).
Regardless of their historical or aesthetic significance, middle forests can be special biotopes and form a special ecosystem . The preservation of these special habitats is therefore necessary for species protection.
See also
literature
- Renate Bärnthol: Nieder- und Mittelwald in Franconia: Forest management forms from the Middle Ages (= publications and catalogs of the Franconian Open Air Museum ). Franconian Open Air Museum, Bad Windsheim 2003, ISBN 978-3-926834-54-6 .
- Karl Hasel , Ekkehard Schwartz : Forest history. A floor plan for study and practice . Kessel, Remagen 2002, ISBN 3-935638-26-4
- Hans Hausrath : History of German silviculture. From its beginnings to 1850 . Series of publications by the Institute for Forest Policy and Regional Planning at the University of Freiburg. Hochschulverlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1982, ISBN 3-8107-6803-0
- Richard B. Hilf: The forest. Forests and pastures in the past and present - Part One [Reprint]. Aula, Wiebelsheim 2003, ISBN 3-494-01331-4
