22O 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



May 



fore (that of timber supply), forestry is 

 a national necessity with the Swiss. A 

 general law on the subject has been in 

 force for many years, but it was exten- 

 sively revised in 1902. This code as- 

 serts in the first article that the over- 

 sight of all forests within the limits of 

 the country is within the province of the 

 general government, whether those for- 

 ests are the property of any public body 

 or whether belonging to individuals. 

 The second provision of the law is the 

 definition of Schutz or protection forests, 

 those whose maintenance is for any 

 reason a necessity to the country, and 

 such as can not be so considered. In 

 management the plan is to secure a cer- 

 tain standard and uniformity without 

 violating local independence. To the 

 cantons is left the regulation of their 

 own or municipal woods, and the con- 

 trol exercised over private forests within 

 their limits, while to a central bureau 

 at Berne is reserved the right to veto 

 appointments made and to see that work 

 is done within the lines of the federal 

 regulations. 



How this works will be best illustrated 

 by the arrangement in force in Canton 

 Zurich. This canton has 47,024 hectares 

 of (116,000+ acres) forest, of which 

 53/^ per cent is owned by private parties, 

 4.5 per cent by the canton, and the bal- 

 ance by towns and various quasi-public 

 associations. The canton has an Ober- 

 forstmeister, with important duties in 

 case of dispute, appeal, etc., and four 

 Kreisforsters, each of whom is respon- 

 sible for all woods within the limits of 

 his district. The Kreisforster manages 

 the cantonal forests ; he keeps run of 

 the private woods and specifies what 

 owners are allowed to do and what is 

 forbidden ; he keeps check on the more 

 or less highly trained managers who 

 run the town and corporation forests. 

 Each town or corporation owning forest 

 can choose its own manager, who is 

 locally paid. He must, however, be 

 approved by the forest authorities of 

 the general government, which means 

 almost always that he is a graduate of 

 the forest school at Zurich. Frequently 

 separate holdings of woodland are united 

 for economy's sake under one manager. 



One of the charms of the Swiss woods, 



which also adds to their value for pur- 

 poses of study, is the great variety that 

 maybe seen on a small area. All Switzer- 

 land is only half as large as Maine, and 

 one can quickly and cheaply traverse it. 

 The most characteristic stands, perhaps, 

 are those of the mountains, where on 

 the great heights the larch and spruce 

 hold sway, and lower down come the 

 fir, beech, and other native tree species. 

 Here the wind is a big factor, while the 

 necessity for maintaining a perpetual 

 cover oftentimes entirely dominates the 

 management. Selection forests and very 

 light cuttings are therefore the rule. 

 Here also may be seen clever devices in 

 the way of wood transportation. 



The forests of northern Switzerland, 

 on the other hand, are not unlike those 

 of south Germany varying stands of 

 spruce, fir, and beech for the most part, 

 with a rotation between So and 120 

 years, and natural regeneration, where 

 they can get it, stretching over a suffi- 

 cient period. There is a good deal of 

 pure spruce here, planted since about 

 1850, but these pure plantations are 

 now recognized as bad policy, the ten- 

 dency being distinctly toward more 

 natural forms and management. 



As for particular districts, the Sihl- 

 wald, near Ziirich, has been visited 

 probably by every American forester 

 who has made any inspection of the 

 country, but there are numerous other 

 districts which the Swiss themselves 

 seem to regard with equal pride. Biel 

 is a bezirk remarked for its fine and 

 varied woods and its excellent manage- 

 ment. At Winterthur the Swiss are 

 now watching with great interest the 

 success of the local officer in the natural 

 regeneration of spruce. Chur again, a 

 mountainous district in the east, is said 

 to illustrate a great variety of forestal 

 conditions and of protective work as 

 well. 



Forstmeister Marti at Interlaken is 

 looked on as one of the most capable 

 managers in the country. He certainly 

 proved himself to the writer a most cor- 

 dial and accommodating man. It was 

 of great interest to see under his guid- 

 ance the protective work in the Lauter- 

 brunnen valley above Interlaken, which 

 alone has rendered the much traveled 



