FOREST ECONOMICS 153 



by supplying plants, granting loans of money at a low rate 

 of interest, allowing abatement of taxation, etc. 



With forests belonging to public bodies the matter is 

 different. In them the State has a much more direct in- 

 terest, and over them it has a greater power. The woods 

 form part of the yearly income of the communities, and it 

 is a duty of Government to safeguard this source of revenue. 

 To obtain a permanent yield, proper methods of cultivation 

 require to be instituted, and exploitation must be duly regu- 

 lated according to production. The financial and even social 

 interests involved are considered to be of very great importance 

 to a country's well-being, and worthy of the attention of 

 the State. 



In most European countries the Forest Department has 

 been empowered to assist in the control of municipal forests, 

 and to this end the following systems of supervision are found 

 in operation : 



1. The State may only exercise a general control over 

 financial dealings in order to render difficult the sale or 

 alienation of the land, or the burdening of it with debt. 

 Partition of the forest among its shareholders is forbidden, 

 and the utilisation of the land for purposes other than timber 

 production is subject to the sanction of the Government forest 

 authorities. 



This is in vogue in only six per cent, of the communal 

 forests of Germany. It is less satisfactory in its results than 

 either of the following systems. 



2. In addition to the above-mentioned control, corporation 

 woods may be placed under supervision as regards their 

 technical management. For their administration, proper 

 provision is then made for the protection and skilful treatment 

 of the woods by a thoroughly well-qualified staff. Almost 

 universally the woods are placed under the systematic direc- 

 tion of a working plan prepared by the higher grade forest 

 officers of the State. 



In Germany this method obtains in close upon half of the 

 communal forests. 



