Warum planen wir im Wald? – Überlegungen aus der Sicht eines Forsthistorikers, eines kantonalen Planungsverantwortlichen und eines Betriebsleiters | Why do we need forest planning? Reflections from a historian, a Cantonal planning official and a manager of an enterprise

Today's situation is marked by a growing complexity of the matter in hand and the increasing dynamics of change. Under these circumstances, planning – in a comprehensive sense to include shaping, steering and developing activities – is of central importance. Switzerland's planning concept comprises two different levels: global planning of larger areas serves to represent public interest and the level of the individual enterprise reflects the interests of the forest owners. We report the views of the head of the forestry planning unit of Canton Berne, as a public representative, and the head of forestry from the Oberallmeind corporation Canton Schwyz, as a representative of forest owners. The paper starts with a retrospective of forest history and investigates earlier reasons for forest planning.