Restrictive Policy. 75 



selves were not allowed to cut a tree without sanction of 

 some forest official, and could not sell any wood without 

 permission, even down to hoppoles, although the large 

 landed property owners strenuously resisted this assump- 

 tion of supervisory powers. Much discussion and argu- 

 ment regarding the origin of this right to supervision 

 was carried on by the jurists, who upon the basis of 

 Eoman law doctrine, proved it to be of ancient date. 



The degree, however, to which this supervision was de- 

 veloped varied considerably in the different parts of the 

 empire, according to different economic conditions. The 

 interference with and protection of forests appeared 

 more necessary where advanced civilization and denser 

 population created greater need for it. We find there- 

 fore that the restrictive policy was much more developed 

 in the Southern and Western territories than in the 

 Northern and Eastern ones, where such development 

 begins two hundred years later. 



11. Forest Administration. 



The administration of the different forest properties 

 which the princes had aggregated in the course of time 

 was at first a part of the general administration of the 

 princely property. The requirements in the woods being 

 merely to look after utilization and protection, illiterate 

 underlings (Forstknechte) were sufficient to carry out 

 the police functions, generally under a Forstmeister, or 

 Oberforstmeister, who from time to time would make an 

 inspection tour. Later on when a more intensive forest 

 management had come into existence it became custom- 

 ary to call in for such inspection experienced foresters 

 from outside to give advice. 



