Early Interest in Forestry. 373 



establish his right as 'forester' for the crown. A 

 full account of the forest laws is contained in Man- 

 wood's volume, the title page of which is here re- 

 produced. 



In Scotland the same usages and laws existed, only 

 very much less rigorously enforced, until, in 1681, the 

 extension of 'forests' was discontinued by parliamen- 

 tary act. 



It will be understood that the term forest did only 

 distantly refer to woodland and that no economic 

 policy had anything to do with the laws. Only inci- 

 dentally was forest growth protected and preserved 

 for the sake of the chase the same medieval policy 

 which still largely animates the forest policy of the 

 State of New York. 



The woods outside the 'forests', which had mainly 

 served for the raising of hogs, and for domestic needs, 

 experienced at various times unusual reduction by 

 fire. General Monk, among others, laid waste large 

 areas on the Scottish borderland in Cromwell's time. 



The first serious inroads by extensive fellings occur- 

 red under Edward III in the first half of the 14th 

 century to enrich the treasury for the French wars. 

 Again, Henry VIII in the 16th century, when he 

 seized the church properties for his own use, turned 

 them into cash. A hundred years later, James I 

 reduced the forest area, especially in Ireland, by his 

 colonization schemes. Yet both, Henry VIII and 

 James I, are on record as encouraging forest planting 

 for utility. Charles I, James' successor, always in 

 need of cash, alienated many of the crown forests, 

 and turned them into cash, besides extorting money 



