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In Central Europe, ancient woodland sites with a long ecological continuity are regarded as especially valuable habitats and often stand out as biodiversity hotspots. This is particularly true for deciduous forests with overmature oak (Quercus robur, Q. petraea) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees, which are frequently parts of protected areas. But even before the term ecological continuity was introduced and the importance of overmature trees for biodiversity was widely recognized, there have been early 19th century approaches to protect veteran trees and deciduous woodland for aesthetical and historical reasons. With regard to forest birds and bats, already around 1800 utilitarian conservation efforts were made to protect species that were known to be natural enemies of arthropod pests. Already in those days forest scientists called for the preservation of old hollow trees for the purpose of protecting insectivorous birds and bats. Such trees became later known as habitat trees. The question arises, whether these early nature conservation ideas have been received or implemented by forest managers at that time. We therefore conducted a systematic review of the 19th century volumes (1825-1900) of the oldest continuously published scientific forestry journal worldwide, the Allgemeine Forstund Jagdzeitung (AFJZ). By evaluating 75 years of journal and forestry history, this study aimed at analyzing and discussing to what extent ideas and measures supporting ecological continuity and nature conservation were implemented in 19th century forest management. By reviewing the 19th century AFJZ volumes, it could be shown that the central topics appreciation and protection of veteran trees, and the protection of habitat trees and birds were regularly discussed. Both the temporal emphasis and the practical implementation of the different topics, however, varied considerably. While contributions dealing with veteran trees and their protection were most notably published between the 1820s and the 1850s, bird protection was a hot topic between the 1850s and the mid-1870s. The concept of habitat trees was occasionally mentioned between 1855 and 1900. Although systematic inventories of veteran trees were compiled in several Germans states and some trees were protected, general legal instructions for veteran tree protection were not enacted in the 19th century. The same is also true for the concept of habitat tree protection, which was known to foresters from journals and books already in the second half of the 19th century. Despite sporadic conservation efforts, rationalized forest management resulted in extensive losses of over-mature trees and, thereby, in a widespread disruption of ecological continuity. In Germany, however, the first systematic conservation network of forest nature reserves and natural monuments was established in Prussia from 1906 onwards. When looking at the perceived history of bird protection, the situation appears to be different. The legal protection of useful birds, which was primarily seen as an economic issue, was heavily lobbied by influential forest scientists. Their political efforts were directed towards both national and international bird protection. After the successful implementation of national legislation on bird protection in the 1880s, interest in the protection of birds faded among forest scientists. New nature conservation ideas, which went beyond utilitarian reasons for protecting birds, were more common among other middle- class intellectuals than among foresters. The loss of bird habitats due to forest management intensification, however, continued during the whole 19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]