Forest Protective Service. 153 



mainly dead letters, in others a better system prevailed, 

 as for instance in Styria where in 1807, five forest com- 

 missioners and 20 district foresters were employed, 

 although this organization was of short duration. A 

 loose administration of the forest laws was most general, 

 and only when the severe floods of 1851 had forcibly 

 called attention to this state of things was the neces- 

 sity of change recognized. At first the reform had ref- 

 erence only to the Alp districts, which had suffered the 

 most and in Tyrol an organization was created in 1856 

 which was to manage the State forests, supervise the 

 management of corporation forests and exercise the for- 

 est police. This service underwent various changes. 

 Not until the years 1871-74 was a similar service ex- 

 tended to other portions of the empire but at the end of 

 that period the entire empire had been placed under the 

 administration of the "forest protective service." 



In 1888 this service consisted of 14 forest inspectors, 

 56 forest commissioners, 63 forest adjuncts and 80 as- 

 sistants and forest guards; in addition 252 special ap- 

 pointees and oflBcers of the State forest administration 

 were doing duty in this service, so that altogether nearly 

 500 persons were then employed in carrying on the pro- 

 tective forest policy of the State. 



The law declares the function of this technical service 

 to be: "to assist the political government by technical 

 advice and observation in supervising forest protection, 

 and in the application of the forest laws." 



In 1883 the functions of this organization were ex- 

 tended "to instruct and encourage forest owners in for- 

 est culture, and to manage forests designated to be so 

 managed." The service has been so satisfactory that 



