SPRUCE IN THE REGIONAL SILVICULTURAL PLANNING OF BADEN-WURTTEMBERG

Since the middle of the seventies, regional silvicultural surveys and guide lines based on site mapping in Baden-Wurttemberg have been produced. Here the long-term aims for state and community forests are formulated. Spruce occupies the greatest share of all tree species (40%). Among the native tree species, spruce particularly has spread beyond its natural sites. It is legitimate, therefore, to pay particular attention to its role in the silvicultural planning. The area of spruce has increased from a small proportion in the natural forests to about 40% at the present time. The largest increase was in the 19th century (table 1). The heart of the long-term silvicultural planning is the planning of production types related to sites and functions of the forests, which in principle strives for mixed stands. Spruce is to be found above all in the spruce-beech-type and in the spruce-fir-beech-type. This planning aims to give continued considerable emphasis to this tree species which is vigorous, productive and economically important but to avoid planting on sites which are risky. This means that spruce will be located on moderately fresh to very fresh, well aerated soils. In the geographic forest subregions with a warm-dry regional climate the area planted with spruce will be reduced (table 2 and 3). The present state of the long-term silvicultural planning shows a reduction of spruce from 40 to 33%. The nearly exclusive participation of spruce in mixed production types and its concentration on stable and productive sites will clearly diminish the risks which have afflicted this tree species and allow it to continue to make a decisive contribution to total wood production. © 1990 Verlag Parey.