Reboisement Work. 165 



work, while the State administration employed only 

 297 officials of the higher grade. 



The law declares the function of this technical ser- 

 vice to be: "to assist the political government by 

 technical advice and observation in supervising forest 

 protection, and in the application of the forest laws." 



In 1883, the functions of this organization were ex- 

 tended "to* instruct and encourage forest owners in 

 forest culture, and to manage forests designated to 

 be so managed." The service has been so satisfactory 

 that, while at first much complaint against the en- 

 forcement of the regulations was heard, owners now 

 ask constantly for its extension. 



The details of the duties devolving upon this organ- 

 ization are found in a series of laws, applicable to 

 different parts of the empire, which are based upon the 

 recognition of protection forests, in which sanctioned 

 working plans regulate the management. Forcible re- 

 forestation and employment of competent foresters in 

 these are obligatory. Now, altogether about 60% of the 

 Austrian forest area is managed under working plans. 



A special reboisement law for the extinction of de- 

 structive torrents was the result of unusual damage 

 by floods in Tirol and Karinthia, in 1882. The basis 

 for this legislation was laid by a translation from the 

 French of Demontzey's great work on the reboisement 

 of mountains, by v. Seckendorff in 1880, and a sub- 

 sequent report by the same author in 1883. A law, 

 similar to that of the French was enacted in 1884, for 

 the regulation of torrential streams. A special fund 

 for the work was created to which the interested 

 parties are required to contribute, assisted by annual 



