318 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



ests of Saxony and those of a small part of Prussia 

 are without any supervision. Of the private for- 

 ests, those of Prussia and Saxony, involving 69 per 

 cent of all private forests of the empire, are en- 

 tirely free % from interference. They can be man- 

 aged as the owner sees fit, and there is no obstacle 

 to their devastation or entire clearing and conver- 

 sion into field or pasture. The remainder of the 

 private forests are under more or less supervision. 

 In most districts a state permit is required before 

 land can be cleared. Devastation is an offence, 

 and in some states, notably Wiirtemberg, a badly 

 neglected forest property may be reforested and 

 managed by state authorities. In nearly all states 

 laws exist with regard to so-called " protection for- 

 ests," i.e. forests needed to prevent floods, sand 

 blowing, land and snow slides, or to insure regu- 

 larity of water supply, etc. Forests proved to fall 

 under this category are under special control, but 

 as it is not easy in most cases to prove the protec- 

 tive importance of a forest, the laws are difficult 

 to apply and not always enforced. 



An increase of state supervision over private 

 forests has been attempted in Prussia by the 

 establishment of a law previously referred to, 

 which renders the owner of a forest liable for 

 the damage which the devastation or clearing 

 of his forest property causes to his neighbor. 

 This law, however, is so difficult to apply, and 

 puts the plaintiff to so great expense, that so 



