Requirements of practical forestry for forest research activities in the next decades

• Published in: Forst und Holz (Germany) Vol. 56; no. 10
• Main Author: Otto, H.J
• Format: Publication
• Language: German
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: BIOGRAFIAS; BIOGRAPHIE; BIOGRAPHIES; DOCENTES; DURABILITE; ENSEIGNANT; ERFORDERNISSE; FDK: 902; FOREST INVENTORIES; FORESTRY PRODUCTION; FORSTLICHEN HANDELNS; FORSTWISSENSCHAFTLICHE DAUERVERSUCHSFLAECHEN; HISTORISCHE RUECKBESTIMMUNG; INVENTAIRE FORESTIER; INVENTARIOS FORESTALES; INVESTIGACION; NATURAL RESOURCES; PHILOSOPHIE; PILOT PROJECTS; PLANT SOIL RELATIONS; PROCEDENCIA; PRODUCCION FORESTAL; PRODUCTION FORESTIERE; PROJET PILOTE; PROVENANCE; PROYECTOS PILOTOS; RECHERCHE; RECURSOS NATURALES; RELACIONES PLANTA SUELO; RELATION PLANTE SOL; RESSOURCE NATURELLE; SILVICULTURA; SILVICULTURE; SOSTENIBILIDAD; SPEZIALISIERUNG; SUSTAINABILITY; SYLVICULTURE; TEACHERS; UMWELTSCHUTZ; ZUKUENFTIGE VERANTWORTUNG; ZUKUNFTSORIENTIERUNG

The paper begins with an overview over the historical evolution of forest scientific thinking and research approaches since the beginning of sustainable forestry in Germany 300 years ago. This evolution went from simple observation and practical experience directly in forest, towards university research, with a processing predominance of experimental research in well defined research plots. This evolution followed the spiritual inputs of the philosophy of Rationalism and the Enlightenment, which finally were the base of all scientific and technical progress of our modern world. However, the problem for scientific questions in forestry is, that forest ecosystem evolution is marked by complex and long-term phenomena. Practical forestry is moving today more and more to variable, mixed, structured and biodiverse stand compositions, which show an increasing complexity. The more this becomes a fact, the less classical experiments with their reducing approaches can contribute to the solution of modern problems in practical forestry. - In the next decades, practical forestry will need the help of science not only with ongoing classical experiment, but also with more case studies in the field and holistic approaches.This will require teamwork of different scientific specialists. Further, the modern problems of civilisation, technical evaluation and urbanisation means, that there is a need to integrate social sciences (sociology, psychology, medicine and others) in forest research projects.