PERIODICAL LITERATURE 925 



The chief forester of Switzerland, M. Decop- 

 Swiss pet, gives an interesting insight into the effects 



Forestry of the war on Swiss wood trade and forest 



and utilization. Before the war the forest produc- 



the War tion of the country was insufficient, and a con- 



siderable import, equivalent to one-quarter the 

 home production, was necessary. In 1913 the excess of imports of 

 wood over exports was around 24 million cubic feet. In 1914 the im- 

 port was still larger than the export by 3 per cent, but in 191 5 the 

 relations changed, and the export was as large as the import of the 

 previous year in amount and nearly double the import of the same 

 year (1915). In 1916 the export had grown to more than three times 

 the amount of the import and over four times in value. Italy and 

 France took the bulk of all the imports, with Germany third. 



This would make the rise in prices over 1914 about 50 per cent, 

 namely, 60 cents per cubic foot. Due to the requisitions for paper 

 pulpwood and to the reduced coal supplies, which forced the gas man- 

 ufacturers to fall back on wood, prices increased, not only abnormally, 

 but a fuelwood famine was experienced which required government 

 interference and all sorts of remedial measures, such as fixing highest 

 prices ; permits for extraordinary fuelwood fellings at times of the 

 year, otherwise prohibited ; permission to exceed the felling budgets 

 in public forests, and mutual help in the labor of exploitation. To 

 these regulations were added embargoes on certain exports and per- 

 mits for other exports; prohibition of the felling of nut trees; sur- 

 veillance of fellings in private forests ; increased fines for nonpermitted 

 deforestation, etc. 



In the public forests no overcutting has been done, but in private 

 nonprotection forests many young stands have been sacrificed, and 

 through this inconsiderate exploitation the wood production in the 

 country will be considerably reduced for decades. 



The total cut, which in ordinary times is around 2,700,000 m'^, in 

 1916 had run up to over 4,000,000 m^. To prevent further disaster 

 the limiting prescriptions for private protective forests have been ex- 

 tended to nonprotective forests, and it is hinted that such control may 

 be exercised even after the war. Some suggestions are also made for 

 improving the conditions of exploitation and silviculture, among which 

 increase of public forests. 



Allgemeine Orientierung uber die Holznutzungen in den Jahren, 1914-1916. 

 Schweizerische Zeitschrift fiir Forstwesen, July, August, 1917, pp. 214-219. 



