Dauerwald

Dauerwald is a term used in forestry to describe a forest with all age groups of trees, where forest management follows a set of principles applicable to forest management. It is not a silvicultural system in itself but rather encompasses a range of systems and the management of forests under no particular system but following the principles of Dauerwald. The term has gained interest throughout Europe in recent years.

According to Helliwell (1997), a dauerwald results from retaining vigorous trees and removing trees that have lost their vigour. No attempt is made to regenerate the forest artificially, and the forest is allowed to develop naturally. The goal of Dauerwald is the sustainable production of large-dimension, high-quality timber.