Traditional Values of European Forest Culture

Forests play an important role in nature and human life. The relationship of man to forests and trees can be detected in many traditional cultures. Contemporary forestry in Europe has become cross-functional, and the understanding of sustainable forestry is far beyond the sustainable yield of wood alone. Ecological and social functions have also been part of it. The perception of forests by society has become broader. The change in the use of forests as environmental resources is encouraged by the social organization and land ownership in many European countries. The cultural and spiritual functions of forests are often neglected in the ongoing discussion of sustainability in forestry, but this discussion cannot be successful if solely based on economics. We therefore consider it necessary to be more conscious about the cultural and spiritual functions of forests and emphasize their importance in human life.