REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM 41 



' In addition to the waste of wood, consequent on its 

 low value, prior to 1856, the practice of landowners 

 granting long leases of their forests from about that time 

 had a disastrous effect on the Swedish woodlands. The 

 usual length of lease at that time Avas fifty years, and as 

 the leases then covered only the heavy timber, it can be 

 readily understood that the lessee was not at all careful 

 to conserve the smaller growing trees, which were not 

 included in his lease, and which had then practically no 

 value. It was, however, soon recognised that these long 

 leases had a very bad effect on the forest, and the legal 

 length of same was gradually reduced, until at the present 

 time five years is the maximum, and even then the lease 

 is subject to the provisions of the Replanting Law. The 

 mischief had, however, been done, and as many of these 

 leases in the provinces of Norrland and Dalecarlia (which 

 supply more than four-fifths of the building wood shipped 

 from Sweden) have only lapsed during the last few years, 

 it is evident that the ground covered by them is now in a 

 partially denuded state, as the lessees naturally took good 

 care to cut out their wood before handing the ground back 

 to the owner. During the last fifteen years a great change 

 has, however, come over the scene, many of these denuded 

 or partially denuded areas having been bought up either 

 by the wealthy saw- mill companies or by the Swedish 

 Forest Department. As the enhanced value of these 

 forest lands became apparent, there was such a rush by 

 the saw-mill companies to secure same that the Swedish 

 legislature a few years ago, approliensive lest the class of 

 yeomen farmers that owned the bulk of them would be 

 entirely submerged, passed a Bill practically prohibiting 

 all further acquisition of forest lands by the big saw-mill 

 companies. In many districts these saw-mill companies 

 and the State together own more than half the wood- 

 lands, and as the former now have to make shift to obtain 



