Forest Condiiions. 11 



the Svrians (189 B. C), although other considerations 

 may have forced these actions. Denuded hills and scarcity 

 of building timber in certain parts are mentioned at the 

 end of the third century before Christ, and that the 

 need for conservative use of timber resources had ar- 

 rived also appears from the fact that when (167 B. C.) 

 the Romans had brought Macedonia imder their sway, 

 the cutting of ship timber in the extensive forests of 

 that countn' was prohibited. Although at that time 

 the Boman State forests were still quite extensive, it is 

 evident that under the system of renting these for the 

 mast and pasture and for the exploitation of their 

 timber to a company of contractors, their devastation 

 was then rapidly progressing. Yet, on the whole, with 

 local exceptions, Italy remained well wooded until the 

 Christian era. 



In Spain, according to Diodorus Sicuhis (about 100 

 B. C), the Southern provinces were densely wooded 

 when about 200 B. C. the Romans first took possession ; 

 but a great forest fire starting from the Pyrenees ran 

 over the country, exposing deposits of silver ore which 

 invited a large influx of miners, the cause of reckless 

 deforestation of the country. The interior of this penin- 

 sula, however, was probably always forestless or at least 

 scantily wooded. 



While through colonization, exploitation, fire and 

 other abuse, the useful forest area was decimated in 

 many parts, the location of the ^f editerranean peninsular 

 countries was such that wood supplies could be readily 

 secured by water from distant parts, and the lignarii 

 or wood merchants of Italy drew their supplies even 

 from India by way of Alexandria ; they went for Ash to 



