Hello. I'm trying to conduct research on German Foresters of the medieval period. It's for a story I have in mind, which will be set in Bavaria. The majority of the information I have found up to now seems focused on English foresters / yeomen.
I am beginning to realise how 'niche' my search is as pinning down this particular information seems few and far between. So, if anyone has any ideas on how I can acheive this goal, it would be very much appreciated, thank you.
The German historian Joachim Radkau has produced some environmental histories on the German forest. His book, Wood: A History largely focuses on Central European forests and forest management and examines the fluctuating relationship between man and the forest over the longue duree. Radkau's articles "Wood and Forestry in German History: In Quest of an Environmental Approach" and "The wordy worship of nature and the tacit feeling for nature in the history of German forestry," in the journal Environment and History and the anthology book Nature and society in historical context are also good introductions to basic concepts in German environmental history vis-a-vis the forest. The Forest in Medieval German Literature: Ecocritical Readings from a Historical Perspective by Albrecht Classen looks at the various aesthetic motifs and tropes associated with the forest in medieval Germany. The bibliographies of these works should also help point out further reading, especially if you speak German.