Administration. 363 



8 technically educated assistants, each in charge of 

 some branch of service. Under these, there are a 

 number of field agents or supervisors (some 14 in 

 1903) with less education, and underforesters and 

 guards. 



The only really well managed forest, the pride of 

 the Portuguese foresters, is the forest of Leiria in 

 Estremadura, a planted pinery of about 25,000 acres, 

 on which over 50 men of various grades are employed, 

 with naval store distilleries, impregnating works, and 

 saw mills. Its management (in natural seed tree 

 system) dates from 1892. 



Besides attending to the management of the State 

 forests, a committee composed of the administrator 

 and some of the technical staff, were to examine the 

 country and decide what parts needed reforestation. 

 As a result of a very full report, in 1882, a reboisement 

 law was enacted under which some of the sand dunes 

 were fixed. 



In 1903, a more thorough organization of this work 

 took place, which, with liberal appropriations, pro- 

 mises more rapid progress. 



This law recognizes two ways of placing private 

 property under a forestry regime, namely obligatory 

 and facultative or voluntary. Territory in the moun- 

 tains and on dunes may if deemed by the superior 

 Agricultural Council as requiring it from the point of 

 view of public utility be placed under the regime by 

 royal decree. Or else private owners may ask to 

 have their properties so placed, either merely securing 

 police protection, obligating themselves to keep the 

 property wooded, or working under a working plan 



