55 



THE STATE IN EELATION TO FOEESTRY. 



As indicated in the first part of this volume, forestry has 

 for its primary ol)jects the production of forest produce and 

 the realisation of certain other effects. Hence forestry is an 

 industry based upon the productive power of the soil, which 

 satisfies certain requirements of the inhabitants of the earth. 

 This industry differs from others, and especially from the pro- 

 duction of field crops, chiefly by the long time which is 

 required for the maturing of the produce. While that process 

 takes, in other industries, only a comparatively short time, 

 forest trees may require one hundred and more years before 

 they reach the size necessary for a particular purpose. Under 

 these circumstances, contiauitt/ of action extending over a 

 long period of time is an essential condition for successful 

 forestry. 



The industry also requires considerable areas, whenever a 

 steady annual yield is expected, because there must be woods 

 of various ages, and each wood must be of a minimum size. 

 Competent managers, moreover, are expensive, and in order to 

 utilise them fully they must administer considerable areas. 

 The construction of means of transport, such as roads, tram- 

 ways, forest-railways and other works of this class, pays only 

 if considerable quantities of produce are moved over them. 

 These and other considerations make it clear that successful 

 forestry conducted on economic principles is, as a rule, 

 possible only on large properties, such as may be held by 

 the State, communes, other corporations and sometimes by 

 wealthy private persons. Only in these cases is the manage- 

 ment fairly independent of personal or temporary fancies of 

 the owner. 



The task of the industry is to do justice to true economic 



