The origin and beginnings of modern Continuous Cover Forestry in Europe

Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) is a type of forest management that is based on ecological, environmental, and biological principles. Specific definitions of CCF greatly vary and the concept usually includes a number of tenets. The most important tenet of CCF is the requirement to abandon the practice of large-scale clear felling in favor of selective thinning/harvesting and natural regeneration methods. CCF is commonly believed to have its main origin in an academic debate that was conducted through publications in a number of European and North American countries towards the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Our findings are exclusively based on a literature review of the history of CCF and they revealed that the European origins of CCF go much further back to a form of farm forestry that started to be practiced in Central Europe in the 17th century. Eventually, this type of farm forestry led to the formation of the single-tree selection system. Another influential tradition line contributing to modern CCF is individual-based forest management, which breaks forest stands down into small neighborhood-based units. The centers of these units are dominant frame trees which form the framework of a forest stand. Consequently, management is only carried out in the local neighborhood of frame trees. Individual-based forest management also modified inflexible area-control approaches of plantation forest management in favor of the flexible size-control method. Results and conclusions : We found evidence that the three aforementioned tradition lines are equally important and much interacted in shaping modern CCF. Since CCF is an international accomplishment, it is helpful to thoroughly study the drivers and causes of such concepts. Understanding the gradual evolution can give valuable clues for the introduction and adaptation of CCF in countries where the concept is new.