Forestry: from its origins to the XIX century

Secondary information published in periodicals and books about the origin of the silvicultural activity. Which came along and even before the development of agriculture. Was used for this essay emphasis is put on the transformation of such activity into a science. silviculture or even better, forestry which is consolidated since the middle of the 18th- century when it is formally taught in Germany and other Germanic countries, and forestal services like the Prussian are created. The first theoretical concepts of sustainable development come from this time (G.L. Harting, H, Von Cotta) although since the 13th century forests organized with this philosophy already existed in central Europe. This is where sustainability, so much in fashion nowadays in ecology and economics. has its most remote antecedent. France also played an important role in the development of forestry specially for having included watershed management within forest sciences whereas German contributions were regarding economics and forest measurement. The origin of the profession seems to be in the English forest keepers and the French water and forest masters, from the beginning of the 12th and 13th century respectively. During the period of time studied, forest sciences had close relations with biological. Mathematical and economical sciences but not with the agricultural with which they seemed lo associate only towards the beginning of this century for circumstantial reasons tropical silviculture was born in India in the 19th century where the first teachers and researchers were German foresters hired by the English crown. In America it was also German foresters who founded the first forestry school in the United States and contributed to the creation of the forestry service in this country