THE SWEDISH FOREST CONSERVATION LAW. 

 By B. E. Fernow. 



One of the most interesting institutions in Sweden in connec- 

 tion with the new poHcy of influencing- private forest manage- 

 ment is that of the organization of County Conservation Boards. 



This institution is the result of a law enacted after an exhaus- 

 tive investigation and report in the year 1903. It became opera- 

 tive only in 1905, but has already in the five years of its operation 

 accomplished much in improving conditions. 



Under this law, in each province or county of the Kingdom 

 — with the exception of the two northern, mostly settled, ones of 

 Vasterbotten and Norrbotten — a board of three or more persons 

 is constituted to supervise the work of prwately owned forests, 

 the State forests being under a separate, efficient administra- 

 tion. 



This Board consists of one member appointed by the Govern- 

 ment, one elected by the County Council, and one member elected 

 by the County Agricultural Society. Upon demand of the people 

 additional members may be elected by the people. 



This Board chooses a technical advisor from the State forest 

 service, whose salary is paid by the Government, and with whose 

 assistance and a number of rangers or inspectors the Board 

 applies the law. 



The remarkable and eminently wise and democratic feature of 

 the law is, that it does not undertake to prescribe in detail what 

 is to be done, but leaves this to the discretion of the Boards, with 

 the mere injunction that a conservative treatment of the woods 

 must be enforced and that regeneration or reforestation must be 

 attended to. How this is to be accomplished is left entirely to the 

 Board to decide. The Board, however, working under the County 

 Council, has the power to enforce its rulings in the courts by 

 injunctions, money fines, confiscation of logs, etc. 



Naturally, at first, dififerent Boards construed the law differ- 

 ently and applied the funds in dififerent ways, which was 

 undoubtedly intended by the law to give scope according to 

 varying conditions. 



