CHIEF FIRE WARDEN. 69 



Denmark, answers kindly furnished in the English lan- 

 guage to some questions that I had submitted. I have 

 put the information in its present form. 



The aggregate extent of the state forests of Denmark 

 is 142, 140 acres, besides 2,962 acres for public parks. Of 

 these, 67,700 acres are old forests, 74,440 acres are new 

 plantations, especially on heathy tracts. The planting 

 of forests had already commenced one hundred years ago, 

 but has quite particularly increased since 1850. Forty- 

 five per cent of the state forests are situated on the Danish 

 islands; 54 per cent on the peninsula of Jutland, of which 

 latter only 10.6 per cent are old forests, the rest are new 

 heath plantations not yet thoroughly planted up. Beech 

 comprises 37.7 per cent, oak 3.3, ash, maple, birch, elm 

 and alder 4.8 per cent, and conifers 54.2 per cent. Coni- 

 fers did not exist in Denmark 1 50 years ago, so that the 

 extensive area of conifers in the state forests at present 

 has been produced artificially. For the planting up of 

 heaths the mountain pine (pinus montand) and the spruce 

 (picea excelsd) are particularly utilized. The annual ag- 

 gregate expense of administration averaged $40,000 per 

 year for the period 1893-97. Annual aggregate revenue 

 averaged per year for the period 1893-97: revenue 

 $258,416, expenses $195,370. The smallness of the net 

 revenue arises partly from the fact that about half of the 

 state forests are still so young as to yield only a small 

 revenue, partly from extensive new areas being cultivated 

 every year. The area annually sown or planted to forest 

 averaged 2,285 acres per year for the period 1897-1900. 

 Regeneration from self-sown seed is only used in the case 

 of the beech (fagus silvatica) and of the silver fir (abies 

 pectinatd). In all other cases, forests are regenerated by 

 means of planting plants or sowing seeds. 



There is a sustained yield. Every tenth year a work- 

 ing plan is prepared for cuttings and cultivations of the 

 next decennium. In working out these plans it is taken 



