190 Switzerland. 



munal property is constantly increasing by purchases 

 from private holdings. 



2. Development of Forest Policy. 



No doubt, in some parts the first beginnings of care 

 for forest property and forest use date back even to 

 Roman times. Charlemagne had his forest officials 

 here as elsewhere, and the number of ban forests 

 seems to have been especially great, some 400 "bann- 

 briefe," documents establishing them, having been 

 collected at Bern. The first forest ordinance regu- 

 lating the use of a special forest area in Bern dates 

 from 1304. But the first working plan seems to have 

 been made for the city forest of Zurich, the so-called 

 Sihlwald, in 1680-1697, and to this day this corporation 

 property, with its intensive and most profitable 

 management, is the pride of all Switzerland. The 

 Bernese cantonal forests were first surveyed and 

 placed under management from 1725 to 1739, and 

 fully regulated by 1765. 



An excellent forest code for Bale was drawn up in 

 1755 by Bishop Joseph William; and in 1760, through 

 the propaganda of the two scientific societies of 

 Zurich and Bern, the teaching of forestry was begun, 

 and forest organization in the two cantons secured 

 in 1773 and 1786. The canton of Soleure (Solothurn) 

 was the first to start a regular system of instruction, 

 two citizens from each woodland district being given 

 the opportunity to qualify themselves as foresters. 



Each canton had, of course, its own laws protecting 

 forest property against theft and fire; in the latter 

 respect especially great care was exercised and burning 



