FORESTRY COMMISSIONER 67 



AUSTRIA. 



STATE FORESTS. 



The entire forest area of Austria is, in round numbers, 

 24, ooo, ooo acres, of which the state administers 2,573,940 

 acres of actual forest, and of which 800,000 acres belong 

 to religious, educational or charitable endowments. Un- 

 der the Department of Forestry there are eight territorial 

 offices, and under these eight territorial offices there are 

 1 86 local offices. The largest area under the supervision 

 of a single territorial officer is 628,225 acres; the smallest 

 area under the supervision of a territorial officer is 191,498 

 acres, whilst the average is 452,762 acres. 



Including unproductive soil a local range comprises in 

 one case as much as 120,726 acres. If only the productive 

 forest area is drawn into calculation, the maximum size of 

 a local range is 58,993 acres, whilst the minimum is only 

 1,030 acres. The average size of the forest area under 

 the management of a single local officer is 13,880 acres. 



There are two distinct groups of forests administered 

 by the state authorities one in the east, comprising lands 

 in Galizia and Bukowina, and one in the west, comprising 

 the Alps. Besides, there are some smaller forests lying 

 in the southern and the northern sections of the empire. 



Twenty-six per cent of the state and fund forests are 

 lying in the plains and at the foot hills. 



Forty-nine per cent of them are lying in the mountains, 

 at medium elevations, growing under conditions favorable 

 to tree growth. 



Twenty-five per cent of them are lying in the highest 

 mountain region, extending up to the limit of tree growth. 



The species covering most ground is the European 

 spruce (Picea ex eels a), occupying 49 per cent of the entire 

 forest area. Beech is next, occupying 20 per cent. Then 

 follows the fir, occupying 19 per cent, and the larch, oc- 

 cupying 5 per cent. A small area only is in possession 



