216 THE FOREST LANDS OF FINLAND. 



advantages for cultivation, or other use, can be entirely 

 removed without the law allowing any proceeding against 

 the same. This circumstance the Committee look upon 

 as the principal cause of the fear that the forests would be 

 destroyed, which was observable some time ago as being 

 diffused to some extent in the land. The view of bald 

 and bare mountains and holms, which had been formerly 

 covered with wood, brought up at once the question, What 

 would such a forest economy lead to if it became universal ? 



' To prevent this misuse or abuse the Committee 

 advise the replacing of the statute of 1851, section 

 35, with another to the following effect : " Woodlands 

 must not be laid waste, and the proprietor must not cut 

 down the wood on an area of more than ten tunnlands 

 width, or within that distance from a holm in the neigh- 

 bourhood of which wood does not grow ; and he must see 

 to it that on the ground, when not used for a garden, 

 cultivated land, or meadows, or is built upon, or used for 

 some such purpose, seedling trees to the number of at 

 least twenty shall be left on each tunnland, or some 

 equally beneficial means must be used for the restoration 

 of the forest. And moreover, the Court may forbid on 

 penalty of a fine, injury to young trees, or the cutting of 

 them for other than household purposes, until the young 

 wood be sufficiently grown. If the destruction of the forest 

 does not cease as soon as the injury done to the wood has 

 been sufficiently proved through the proper person, it 

 shall be the duty of the Governor to request the Court to 

 inflict a proper fine. If it still continue, the Governor 

 may order the ground to be replanted." 



' In reference to this statute, the Committee admit 

 that the remark may be made, that this does not fully 

 secure its end, for the wood may be much wasted and 

 damaged without the locality be laid completely bare. 

 As one reason why the Committee have, nevertheless, 

 adopted the above wording of the statute, they point to 

 the fact that nature repairs, though slowly, the danin^r 

 done to the forest by improper methods of cutting; an I 



