Introductory. 7 



Again, the still poorly settled and originally heavily 

 timbered countries of the Scandinavian peninsula 

 and the vast empire of Russia are still heavy exploiters 

 of forest products and are only just beginning to 

 feel the drain on their forest resources; while the 

 United States, with as much forest wealth as Russia, 

 but with a much more intensive industrial develop- 

 ment, has managed to reach the stage of need for a 

 conservative forest policy in a shorter time. 



From each of the European countries we learn 

 something helpful towards inaugurating such policies, 

 and while, owing to a different historical background 

 and to different political and social conditions, none 

 of their administrative methods and measures may 

 appeal to us, the principles underlying them as well 

 as those underlying their silvicultural methods remain 

 the same; they are applicable everywhere, and can 

 best be recognized and studied in the history of their 

 development. 



