Protection, Forest and Waste Land Planting. 453 



million dollars, and similar losses due to unchecked 

 forest fires gave the incentive to the passage of a law, 

 in 1882, simply forbidding all forest use in protection 

 forest, which simple prescription evidently did not 

 work until a further revision was made in 1897. This 

 latter does not confine itself to legislation for protec- 

 tion forests alone, but also authorizes the supervision 

 of supply forests, under the special control of the local 

 governors. Under this law, which also extended the 

 assistance of local authorities to would-be planters, 

 aided by reforms in the corporation system, remark- 

 able activity in planting waste lands ensued, so that 

 in the next two years not less than one million acres 

 of communal property was set out with trees, number- 

 ing over 800 million, while in the State forests, some 

 400,000 acres of vacant land had been planted by 1970. 

 Some sand dune planting and reboisement works are 

 also the result of this legislation. Further legislation 

 more closely defining State control was had in 1907. 



In connection with this planting, it may be of inter- 

 est to record the attitude of Japanese foresters toward 

 natural regeneration: "This is no longer popular in 

 these days when the knowledge of forest management 

 possessed by foresters has become highly developed, 

 for if that method is the easiest and least troublesome, 

 nevertheless it is not advisable, in view of the neces- 

 sity of effecting a thorough improvement in our sil- 

 vicultural conditions. Only on steep slopes and for 

 protection forests is it applicable." 



In 1897, also, some eight experiment stations were 

 organized, in addition to the earlier one at Nishigahara 

 organized, in 1882, by Matsuno. 



