Chapter 1 Old-Growth Forests: Function, Fate and Value – an Overview Christian Wirth, Gerd Gleixner, and Martin Heimann Old-Growth Forest Perception Most of us, scientists and laymen alike, are deeply fascinated by old-growth forest. ˇ We travel to places like the Tongass National Forest1 in Alaska or the Biatowieza National Park2 in Poland to enjoy the sight of forests left to their own. Chapter 2 Old-Growth Forest Definitions: a Pragmatic View Christian Wirth, Christian Messier, Yves Bergeron, Dorothea Frank, and Anja Fankhanel Introduction: Many of us possess an archetype of old-growth forest appearance. We expect majestic trees, small pockets of regenerating trees thriving to reach the sun, heaps of dead wood covered with mosses