History

Like every organisation during the Third Reich, forestry was placed under the control of the NSDAP. The Reichsforstamt (National Forestry Office) was created in 1934 to replace the regional forestry departments that had existed prior to this date. The goals of the Reichsforstamt were to extract economic value in the form of timber from the forests for the German industry, as well as preserve nature and natural monuments for the people as a part of German culture.
A sub-department for professional hunters employed by the government was created. Hunting matters had formerly been a part of the Ministry for Food and Agriculture, but were now placed under the influence of the Reichsforstamt.
Private forestry matters were placed under the care of the Reichsnährstand (National Nutritional Estate) in 1941.
The Reichsforstamt was headed by Luftwaffe leader Hermann Göring as Reichsforstmeister (minister of forestry).

The Reichsbund Deutsche Jägerschaft (National Society of German Hunters) was founded in 1934 as a statutory corporation for non-professional hunters. All existing hunting societies were disbanded and memberships transferred to the Deutsche Jägerschaft. Membership was mandatory for everyone with a hunting license.
Hermann Göring led the organisation as Reichsjägermeister (minister of hunting).

The Reichsforstschutz or Forstschutzkommando (Forestry Protection Service), in 1943 renamed to Forstschutzkorps (Forestry Protection Corps), was a paramilitary force instituted in February of 1940 in the General Government (occupied Poland). Made up of German forestry officials and ethnic Germans from Poland, the Forstschutz was tasked with regular forestry duties, as well as patrolling and protecting woodlands to keep them from being used by the Polish resistance. In 1942, Forstschutz personnel was also stationed in the Eastern European occupied territories where their work was heavily focused on anti-partisan operations.
Very little is known about the Forstschutz organisation today, and all items related to it are exceedingly rare.

The second pattern of Forestry shoulder boards was introduced in January of 1934. The shoulder boards still feature a dark green cloth backing and green cords, green and gold-coloured for higher ranks. Communal forestry personnel wore grey cords on a grey cloth backing. For certain ranks, metal pips in the form of gold-coloured four-sided stars were used. The highest ranks used silver-coloured metal acorns instead.

The shoulder boards are as follows:
Generalforstmeister wore green/gold/green/gold/green cords braided to form five bends and a button loop, with three silver-coloured acorns.
Oberlandforstmeister wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but with only two silver-coloured acorns.
Landforstmeister wore two green double-cords braided to form five bends and a button loop, on a secondary gold-coloured backing and with three gold-coloured pips.
Oberforstmeister wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but with only two gold-coloured pips.
Forstmeister wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but with only one gold-coloured pip.
Forstassesoren wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but without any gold-coloured pips.
Forstreferendare wore five green double-laid parallel cords on a secondary gold-coloured backing.
Forstamtmänner wore two green double-cords braided to form five bends and a button loop, with three gold-coloured pips.
Oberförster wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but with only two gold-coloured pips.
Revierförster wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but with only one gold-coloured pip.
Förster wore the same shoulder boards as the rank above, but without any gold-coloured pips.
Hilfsförster wore five green double-laid parallel cords.
Unterförster wore five green double-laid parallel cords and one gold-coloured pip.
Forstaufseher wore two green double-laid parallel cords.

Private forestry personnel during this time still wore 1920s style shoulder boards in green and brown. Since there were no regulations and no standardisation, a multitude of different styles and colours were worn throughout the different German regions, too many to show here.