INTRODUCTION. 3 



Originally, the protection which the owner of a forest could 

 give to it was sufficient to guard it against mischief and inter- 

 ference. Subsequently, this proved no longer sufficient, and 

 the owner appealed to the State for help. It was also found 

 that certain forest lands were of special importance to the 

 community as a whole, either on account of their produce, or 

 for climatic reasons, or on account of the protection which 

 they yielded to adjoining lands. To regulate these matters, 

 the State had to pass certain laws which are known as Forest 

 Laws and Forest Regulations. 



With the development of Political Economy, the forest 

 question naturally was drawn within its province. It was 

 asked, whether and in how far forests need be maintained in 

 a country, whether the State as such should hold the forest 

 lands, or whether the maintenance of forests might be left to 

 private enterprise, and thus a further branch called Forest 

 Policy was created. 



The task, then, with which forestry has to deal is one 

 of considerable extent ; it may shortly be defined as 

 follows : — 



To ascertain the principles according to which forests shall 

 be managed (Forest Science), and to apply these principles 

 to the treatment of forests (Practical Forestry). 



The measures at first adopted in forestry have, with the 

 advance of other branches of learning, been considerably 

 elaborated. By degrees, the teachings of general science have 

 been brought to bear upon the subject, so that at the present 

 day a fully competent forest expert must be acquainted with 

 many branches of what may be called, from this point of 

 view, sciences auxiliary to forestry. Amongst these may be 

 mentioned : — 



Pure and Applied Mathematics. 



Surveying. 



Elements of General Law. 



Political Economy. 



Physics, including Meteorology. 



b2 



