A NATIONAL PLAN FOE AMERICAN FORESTRY 1025 



sary for protection against soil denudation, drifting sand, flood or 

 wind damage, avalanches or rock slides, for the regulation of water 

 supplies, the protection of fisheries or the public health, the guidance 

 of navigators, or the protection of scenic beauties at shrines, temples, 

 or historical sites. 



No one may cut timber, gather by-products, or graze stock in pro- 

 tection forests without the permission of the local governor, who 

 may prescribe the methods of utilizing the forest and may stop cutting 

 altogether for a period of one year. An owner is entitled to com- 

 pensation from the Government for any direct loss resulting from 

 restrictions, including the cost of any reforestation that he may be 

 required to undertake. The Government may reimburse itself 

 through assessments against those who benefit from the restrictions. 



Cooperative societies may be formed for the purpose of undertaking 

 to prevent forest devastation, to restore devastated forests, or to 

 maintain the safety of the land. Two thirds of the owners, repre- 

 senting at least two thirds of the area involved, must give their 

 consent. These cooperatives are under the control of the competent 

 Minister and the local governor. 



LATVIA 34 



Only about 15 per cent of the forest in Latvia is privately owned. 

 All forests of more than 50 hectares (about 125 acres) are subject to 

 the forestry law, which provides that cutting must follow the estab- 

 lished rules of sound forest management. In the case of forests 

 which serve to prevent drifting of sand or which should be preserved 

 for esthetic reasons, cutting is subject to special restrictions and 

 may be prohibited altogether. 



LUXEMBURG 35 



Private forests in Luxemburg are free from restrictions except 

 that clearing on" slopes of more than 35 degrees requires a permit. 

 This may not be refused if the area is suitable for building purposes, 

 mining, or grape growing, or if the timber stand is less than 20 years 

 old, or is adjacent to a dwelling. 



MEXICO ' 



No cutting is allowed in private forests in Mexico without the 

 consent of the Department of Agriculture, which may establish 

 regulations governing such cutting. Timber must be cut with a saw, 

 not with an axe. All owners or managers must take the necessary 

 precautions to avoid starting fires, must extinguish those on their 

 own land, and must assist in extinguishing those on neighboring 

 property. No exploitation will be authorized until a plan for re- 

 forestation has been submitted. Individuals or organizations ex- 

 ploiting communal, municipal, or private forests must carry out 

 artificial reforestation: (1) Wherever natural reforestation will not 

 take place, in the judgment of the local forest inspector; (2) where 

 repeated coppicing has resulted in marked degeneration of the forest; 



3< Teikmanis, Andrfi, The Timber Problem. In League of Nations Economic Committee report. 

 Geneva, 1932. 



35 Endres, Forstpolitik. Ed. 2, p. 220. 1922. 



3 Ley forestal, Apr. 5, 1926. Diario Oficial no. 45, Apr. 24, 1926. Translated in International Year- 

 book of Agricultural Legislation, 1926, p. 202-206. Internatl. Inst. of Agr., Rome, 1927. 



See also supplementary executive decree of May 6, 1932, on reforestation, in Mexico Forestal 10:78-79. 

 1932. 



