GENERAL. 3 



(see Appendix A) definitely constituted ad hoc, so composed 

 as to command general confidence, and invested with such 

 powers as may be found necessary to secure the carrying out in 

 their entirety of plans which have been thoroughly considered 

 and adopted after adequate preliminary local inquiry. 



The writers consider that the first duty of the Central 

 Forest Authority should be to ascertain, by means of a Survey, 

 the facts on which an afforestation scheme could be founded. 



This Survey should include : — 



{a) A broad general investigation of the silvicultural possi- 

 bilities of Scotland as a whole. 

 (/>) A particular and detailed consideration of the whole 

 economic conditions of certain selected forest centres, 

 carefully chosen as suitable for silviculture, for the 

 establishment of wood industries, and for the support 

 of a permanent population. 



The former, which is here called the " General " Survey, would 

 indicate the localities in which individual forest centres might 

 be established, rather than attempt to give the total number of 

 isolated acres which would grow trees. The latter, and more 

 important, here called the " Detailed " Survey, would not in 

 any way depend on the completion of the whole of the General 

 Survey, which would be used as a means by which proposed forest 

 centres could be marked down for future detailed examination. 



The physical and economic conditions of Scotland prevent 

 any one scheme of afforestation from being applied to the 

 country as a whole. Besides the differences in soil, climate, 

 population, and systems of agriculture, between Highlands and 

 Lowlands, and East and West coasts, there is a still stronger 

 argument for local schemes as opposed to any one general 

 scheme of afforestation. The land suitable for afforestation in 

 Scotland occurs more in irregularly distributed patches than in 

 continuous blocks. In the Highlands the suitable areas are 

 separated by wide stretches of high, poor land ; in the Lowlands 

 the enclosed and cultivated country has the same effect of isolat- 

 ing the areas in which afforestation can take the leading place. 



METHOD OF PROCEDURE. 



When the General Survey indicates a prima, facie case for 

 the creation of a forest centre in any district, a Detailed Survey, 



