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TJic Country Gentleman's Magazine 



2. In answer to my inquiries as to the mode 

 of dealing with the wood-lands in Sweden, 

 and the amount per acre that might be ob- 

 tained by total clearing, the following infor- 

 mation is given : — 



" If I understand the question right, it 

 means in what way the wood is opened 

 (which can be either traktois, when a larger 

 or smaller part (trakt) is felled at once), or 

 bladniugsois, when only single trees are felled, 

 and to what degree the forest is to be injured. 

 It is by the former (the Traktois or 

 "through" felling, called trakthiigning) that 

 the wood is felled in all so-called common 

 forests — /. c, those which are under the direct 

 administration of the State— viz., (i) the woods 

 which belong direct to the State; (2) the woods 

 which belong to the parish, common {al/nan- 

 ing), and are given to the farm-houses 

 {Imialle"-) which are situated in the southern 

 and midmost part of the country. With re- 

 gard to the woods belonging to the small 

 farms {bostalkskog,) which have not previously 

 been under the administration of the State, 

 this has been done only exceptionally hitherto, 

 but, according to the new forest ordinance 

 {skogforordning) of June 29, 1866, trakt- 

 hugning will have to be introduced there. 

 Besides, the wood is felled traktois in a great 

 many mine-property woods {briilisskog), and 

 in woods belonging to larger freehold farms. 

 On the smaller farms, bladning{i.e., opening 

 by felling single trees) is used. Where the 

 forest is felled traktois, it is generally not 

 more injured than is consistent with the future 

 existence of the wood. 



As to the quantity of timber (fi'/rXr) which our 

 woods can give in case of total felling, nothing 

 can be said for certain. It depends of course 

 on the quality of the wood ; which, again, 

 depends very much on its former treatment. 

 A well spared old red and white pine forest 

 {barrskog) can give even 80 normal fathoms 

 ifaiiui), or 100 cubic feet solid wood, and 

 perhaps more per acre of land {tiiiiland), 

 but such woods are (at least in the more 

 cultivated parts of the country) exceptions. 

 On the contrary, there are many ill-treated 



* Bostallc means the house belonging to the State, 

 in which the soldier lives when not in active service. 



forests which do not give more than 8 

 or 10 fathoms per acre. The late F. 

 of Strom supposed 22 famn per tunland 

 to be the average number for the whole 

 country, and perhaps he came very near 

 the truth, at least for his time. This 

 may, however, have improved a little in the 

 forests on which some sort of care has been 

 bestowed, for these (as the case is now with 

 the commons, allmann) have decidedly im- 

 proved lately. According to the official re- 

 ports from the administration of the forests, 

 the average number for the years '56-60 is 

 given in the Royal Parks (Kron Park) at 46 

 famn per tunland, and in the district com- 

 mons {karrads allmaiiningarne) 36 famn per 

 tunland. Thus much can, however, be said, 

 that if the w^oods were in the condition in 

 which they ought to be, and easily could be, 

 then the result in the usual wood-land ground 

 (/.<'., land neither too mountainous and sterile, 

 nor ground which can be easily cultivated) 

 there should generally be of ripe wood, which 

 is fit to be felled, not less than 60 or 70 

 famn per tunland — but we are \ery far from 

 that yet." 



3. The total amount of exports and the 

 probable proportion between them, and the 

 quantity of timber consumed at home, is 

 thus estimated by our correspondent : — 



^'- About the proportions of the exported 

 timber and what is used ivithin the country. — 

 A definite reply cannot be given, for we do 

 not know what quantity of timber there is 

 used within the country. Several approxi- 

 mate calculations are to be found, which I 

 shall give. Forsell calculated that 7,000,000 

 famn were consumed at home ; Strom 

 8,000,000; Ljungherg 9,000,000; and Ob- 

 barius 11,000,000. I have calculated myself, 

 and come nearest to Obbarius, 10,500,000 

 famn. I suppose it will be nearest the fact 

 to say, that 10,000,000 famn are consumed 

 every year at home. According to Posttid- 

 ningen, " it is stated that, during the nine 

 months of 1865, 45,000,000 cubic feet of 

 sawn timber was exported, and, in 1867, 

 60,000,000 do. ; but this can only mean the 

 sawn material, for if you calculate the quan- 

 tity of sawn beams, planks, and boards, which 

 were exported in 1863, after the round tim- 



