| Walter Bitterlich | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 19, 1908 Reutte, Austria |
| Died | February 9, 2008 |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Fields | Forestry |
| Institutions | Austrian Federal Forest |
| Known for | inventor of relascope; author of “The Relascope Idea” (1984); professor at the University of Agriculture at Vienna |
| Notable awards | Society of American Foresters, honorary member |
Walter Bitterlich (February 19, 1908 - February 9, 2008) was a world-renowned forest scientist. A notable contributions of his to the forestry profession was the invention of the relascope used in forest inventories.[1]
Bitterlich descended from several generations of foresters and did much of his early work in the Tyrolean Alps of Austria.
Bitterlich served as part of the German army in Russia and Normandy during World War II, and during this time considered how military thinking could be applied to forest trees.[2]
Bitterlich started his career as a forester in 1949. During this time, he published the method of angle-count sampling. Although these methods were not known until 1949, Bitterlich's diary documented these ideas as early as 1931.[3]
Bitterlich designed many patents throughout his career, including the relascope, which are used today throughout many forest inventories worldwide.