498 Forestry Quarterly 



tories, a Belgian match factory, and a few large sawmills have been 

 established, but most of the mills and factories run only part of 

 the year. 



The first attempt to bring order into the management at least 

 of the municipality forests dates from 1869, when Bulgaria was 

 still under Turkish rule. This law remained absolutely a dead 

 letter. 



Soon after the autonomy was established, in 1879, legislation 

 was had, but fared no better, because of lack of machinery. 

 Finally, in 1884, a comprehensive law was passed and a start of an 

 organization with forest inspectors, foresters and guards, to apply 

 the law under the Ministry of Finance was made. But, with the 

 inimical disposition of the people, the uncertainty of ownership 

 conditions, and inadequate personnel not much of the excellent 

 provisions on paper found application in the woods. 



New legislation was added from time to time, notably in 1889, 

 1897, 1904, and the personnel was increased until now in the State 

 forests some 500, in the communal forests some 2,000 guards are 

 employed. Nevertheless, theft and other "irregularities" are still 

 the order of the day. The legislation concerns itself first with 

 the settlement of property conditions; classification of forests, 

 and, in communal forests, adjustment of the rights of user, especi- 

 ally as regards pasture ; restrictions of exports ; enforced reforesta- 

 tion; organization under working plans; forest police; a State 

 nursery for distribution of plant material; forest schools which 

 seemingly did not materialize. 



In the State forests and in communal forests, which are imder 

 direct State control , the utilization takes place under a felling 

 plan, usually under contract or timber license,, secured at an 

 auction, or also in private sales. 



The State administration handles the business of the munici- 

 palities and turns over to them what it considers the surplus, which 

 is usually not large, the members of the community having all 

 rights of user, exercised with a great deal of favoritism and graft. 

 In 1911, the total income from these communal forests was less 

 than $400,000; 90 per cent being fuelwood, while the State forests 

 netted hardly $120,000; nearly 40 per cent being workwood. The 

 price of the workwood averaged about 2.5 cents per cubic foot, that 

 for fuelwood about half a cent. 



