World's First Forestry School

The world’s first forestry school, located in the Saxon city of Tharandt, near Dresden, attracted students from all over Europe. Founded in 1811 under the leadership of Heinrich Cotta (1763–1844), a forester and mathematician, the school addressed various aspects of forest sustainability, including the long-term health of forest soil, the forest as a habitat for wild plants and animals, as a source of water, as protection against erosion, and as a space for recreation. As graduates of the Tharandt forestry school and other German forestry schools became active in France, Switzerland, Scandinavia, and in the United States, the concept of sustainability became more widely recognized.