ABSTRACT
Close-to-nature forest management (CTNFM) is a production system that developed from concepts of multifunctional forest management. The main historical and philosophical roots of close-to-nature forest management include Möller (1922), who first described the ‘Dauerwald’ (perpetual forest) approach as an alternative to the conventional even-aged forest management focused on conifer monocultures. Earlier, Karl Gayer (1886) had already promoted mixed unevenaged forests as an ecologically more stable alternative to even-aged monocultures. Another important influence in the development of this system came from Leibundgut in Switzerland, who emphasized that silvicultural practices should not be forced into specific themes but instead should accentuate the natural development of forests (Schütz, 2001). This agreed well with Möller’s suggestions to employ all suitable forest structures in forest management, and not to carry out the Dauerwald approach in a rigid systematic way (Möller, 1922).
