1036 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



ship, belongs to society, including all future generations, and that 

 consequently it must not be utilized in such a way as to destroy or 

 reduce its productivity. The owner has the right to dispose of the 

 timber in any way he may see fit, provided he does not impair the 

 continued productivity of the land or the protective effect of the forest 

 in case of classified protection forests. 



Existing forest must be conserved. Land that is essentially forest 

 land (because of soil, topography, and location) may be cleared only 

 for building roads, reservoirs, or other construction. The clearing 

 of other forest land may be authorized where it will be put to better 

 use, without injury to other parties. Local administrative officials 

 may authorize clearings of less than 5 hectares ; larger ones are passed 

 upon by the governor of the province. Management plans must be 

 submitted for forests of over 300 hectares, and every forest enterprise 

 with an annual output of over 30,000 cubic meters of hardwood or 

 50,000 cubic meters of softwood is required to employ a qualified 

 forester, who must be a Yugoslav citizen. 



Forest devastation is forbidden, as is any practice that will im- 

 poverish the soil or endanger its continuous productivity. Cut-over 

 land must be reforested within three years and land denuded prior 

 to adoption of the law (1930) within five years, according to methods 

 prescribed by the authorities. If an owner fails to do this, it is to 

 be done at his expense. 



Every owner must take care, in cutting his forest, not to expose 

 neighboring forests to damage from wind. He may be required to 

 leave a protection strip as wide as twice the height of the neighbor- 

 ing trees. Owners must use all reasonable means to combat disease 

 or insect epidemics, and must notify the authorities immediately of 

 their outbreak. Forests may not be grazed so as to injure the young 

 growth. Livestock must be in charge of a herder, must use designated 

 roads in going to and from the range, and must be kept in corrals 

 between sunset and sunrise. Goats are not to be allowed in forests, 

 with certain exceptions. Methods of utilizing dead litter and green 

 foliage (for fodder) are also subject to restriction, as is the use of fire 

 in or near forests. 



Private forests may be divided only with the consent of the proper 

 authorities, who may refuse permission when the division seems likely 

 to jeopardize continuity of production. Two thirds of the owners of 

 forests within a natural unit, if they own at least two thirds (by value) 

 of the land, may form a cooperative association for purposes of protect- 

 ing and managing the forests, and other owners within the unit may 

 be required to join. 



Protection forests are to be designated by the governor in each 

 province, either upon his own initiative or upon request by interested 

 parties, and after examination by forestry experts. Permanent 

 protection forests are those protecting the soil from sliding, blowing, 

 or washing; those protecting springs or preventing rapid run-off or 

 avalanches, and those near timber line. Temporary protection forests 

 are those serving as windbreaks, etc. Forests serving purposes of 

 national defense may be either permanently or temporarily classified. 

 Clear cutting in protection forests is forbidden, and the Minister of 

 Forests and Mines may prescribe measures essential to maintain the 

 protective effect of the forest. In case these restrictions exceed those 

 necessary to prevent devastation the property is to be partly or 



