Forest management plans are a key tool for controlling and planning within public and private forests in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Harvesting operations, thinning and regeneration measures are planned for the next 10 years, new maps are created and the state of the forest is evaluated. Management plans aim at balancing conflicting interests such as timber production, protection and tourism according to the needs of forest owners. They also include an assessment of recent management. 2018 the forest agency of Baden-Württemberg commissioned the preparation of a management plan for 880 hectares of private forest to UNIQUE. Majority of the area consisted of beech forests, which are of high conservation value. Thus, planning had to balance ecological services with the more profit-oriented interest of the owner.

• Quantification of stock of wood per forest stand; data input.
• Site-inspection, delineation of stands, actualization of stand data.
• Assessment of previous management and accounting.
• Coordination of operative and ecological planning.
• Elaboration of an approach for special silvicultural problems (ash disease, spruce on dry chalk soil).
• Validation and approval by forest administration and owners council.