54 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



estates during that period; amongst which the falHng of 

 agricultural rents, the imposition of Death Duties, and, in 

 Ireland, the effect of various Land Acts, may be mentioned. 

 In England and Wales it is true a slight increase may be 

 noticed in many districts in recent years, the actual area 

 under woods being officially returned as higher in 1905 

 than in 1895 by over 50,000 acres. This increase is chiefly 

 due to planting for game cover and ornament on moderate- 

 sized estates owned by wealthy manufacturing men, mine- 

 owners, and others who do not derive their entire income 

 from the rents or development of agricultural land. 



Unless a decided change in the conditions of private 

 estates takes place, therefore, it is evident that a de- 

 crease rather than an increase in the area of privately 

 owned woodland is likely to occur. The general tendency 

 at present exhibited by landowners in restricting outlay 

 to purely personal objects, such as are likely to give a 

 quick return, or an easily realised increase in the capital 

 value of their properties, is altogether opposed to the 

 prniciple involved in tree-planting for timber production, 

 viz., the sacrifice of all life interests in the yield from the 

 land planted, together with an investment of capital 

 which cannot be recovered under a period of fifty to one 

 hundred years. Either special inducements must be held 

 out, or compulsion applied to the private owner to main- 

 tain his woods in an economic condition, and increase the 

 area under timber, or the State must acquire the woods in 

 danger of destruction, and the necessary land adapted for 

 afforestation, if an area approaching 7,000,000 acres of 

 woods is to be brought into existence in the British Isles. 

 The measures which might be taken to bring about the 

 desired results in these directions must be dealt with in 

 a later chapter. 



The national aspect of forests in connection with 

 climate, storage of rainfall, prevention of soil erosion 



