The Ru¨ttibrennen was part of the traditional ‘Reutbergwirtschaft’. This
consisted of a short rotation coppicing of Quercus spp. and sometimes Betula pendula, Corylus
avellana and other species, and then burning of the dry lopping on the steep slope where
traditional labouring was impossible. In the first years after the burning the area was
used for horticulture or corn-growing (such as rye), then for grazing and then for the growth
of the next coppice generation. Many toponyms related to the ‘Reutbergwirtschaft’ and
other similar uses of fire for rangeland agriculture are still to be found in the Black
Forest.