264 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



Scotland would be needed. The actual supervision 

 of forest areas, however, should be entrusted to an 

 officer, assisted by a general statf, competent to deal 

 with all questions of forest organisation and the 

 general principles of sylviculture, and to supervise the 

 technical operations carried out at the various centres. 

 Such an officer or officers should have an intimate 

 acquaintance with forestry in Britain, with all its local 

 peculiarities, as affected by climate, geographical posi- 

 tion, and economic conditions. Mere book knowledge, 

 or an acquaintance with cut and dried methods adopted 

 in France or Germany are of little value by themselves. 

 A State forest policy, embracing various sylvicultural 

 systems, must be built up very largely upon principles 

 agreeing in many essential features with the forestry 

 practice of North-Western Europe, but, on the other hand, 

 differing from it so far as details are concerned. Labour 

 conditions in Britain also vary from those in other 

 countries, and these indirectly, if not directly, affect 

 practical methods to a very large extent. 



Another function of these officers demanding British 

 experience would be the inspection and selection of land 

 for afforestation. In theory this would suggest the carry- 

 ing out of a complete survey of the United Kingdom, but 

 it is doubtful if the practical value of such a survey would 

 bo very great, unless compulsory powers of acquisition 

 were extensively employed, or except for the purpose of 

 laying down a general scheme of afforestation. Estates, 

 or parts of estates, come on the market from time to time, 

 and the most economical method of purchase for the State 

 would be to take advantage of the opportunities thus pre- 

 sented, buy up all likely properties, and resell the portions 

 too valuable or too worthless for planting. The work of in- 

 spection involved in this process would in course of time 

 constitute a general survey of the country by the officers 

 employed, without the expense of collecting minute details 



