Early History. 147 



conmmnal forest comprises 13%, entailed forest 8%, 

 and the rest belongs to chnrch and other institutions. 

 By the middle of the 19th century at least 75% of 

 the forest area was in large compact properties, a 

 guarantee for the possibility of forest management; the 

 industrial development of the last decade has, however, 

 led to considerable exploitation. 



2, First Attempts at Forest Control. 



The oldest record of attempts at an orderly manage- 

 ment in any part of the empire seems to date back to 

 the 12th century when the city forest of Vienna had 

 been placed under management, and during the 16th and 

 17th century this property appears to have been man- 

 aged upon the basis of careful surveys and estimates. 

 We also find a definite forest organization in the forests 

 attached to the ducal salt mines in Styria by 1524, and 

 the dams, canals and water works for floating timber 

 developed by 1592 through Thomas Seeauer were the 

 wonder of the times. 



In 1524 also Archbishop Mathoeus Lang of Wellenlurg 

 issued a forest ordinance which was full of wise pre- 

 scriptions, probably little heeded. 



In the Alp territory, especially in Styria, the regal 

 right to the mines combined with the "Forsthoheif ' led 

 early to the reservation by the dukes of whatever forest 

 was not fenced or owned by special grant. In addition 

 a superior right was asserted by them in some of the 

 private forests to all the forest produce beyond the per- 

 sonal requirements of the owners ; and what other private 

 property existed was burdened by innumerable rights of 

 user. The exercise of these rights, and the warfare 



