The central European silvicultural system, the Femelschlag, dates back to the 1800s. To my knowledge, the credit for the American popularization of the Femelschlag system is owed to Bob Seymour - emeritus silviculture professor at the University of Maine. About 30 years ago, Bob was in search for a system that he could use to test ecological forestry principles - i.e. biodiversity conservation and restoration concurrent with profitable fiber removal in working forests - and one that fit the natural disturbance regime of the Acadian forest in Maine. A trip to the Black Forest in Germany exposed Bob to a silvicultural system not utilized in the U.S.: the Femelschlag. Bob shortly thereafter installed two long-term silvicultural trials utilizing the Femelschlag in Maine in the early 1990s. Today, I can think of a half dozen Femelschlags that have been installed in as many states in the eastern US as the system’s popularity increases.
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