'612 FOREST RESOURCES OF SWITZERLAND. 



Hitherto these foiestal regulations had been entirely under the author- 

 ity of the separate cantons; but experience showed every year, more 

 and more, the absolute necessity of certain general regulations, espe- 

 cially in matters relating to the water-courses and forests, for protection. 

 The Swiss Federal Government, on the 8th of May, 1858, decided to 

 cause an inspection to be made of the forests upon the high mountains, 

 from which the principal water-courses of the country flow. The inquiry 

 ■was to embrace every fact bearing upon forestal economy, the regula- 

 tion of the waters, and geological conditions.' From a report made in 

 1861, we derive the following facts: 



Total area of the country, 8,183,599 acres. 



Wooded area, general average, 18.8 per cent.^ 



(The least proportion is in the canton of Uri, where it is but 6 per 

 cent; the greatest is in Schafibnsen, where it is 36.1 per cent.) 



Forests owned by the State, and by communes and individuals un- 

 known, in 12 cantons. But in most of the remainder, the larger part 

 belongs to communes ; although in Geneva, Thurgovia, and Zurich, the 

 larger part belongs to private owners. 



Annual production as actually worked, 89,354,300 cubic feet. 



Annual normal production, 118,374,000 cubic feet. 



Number of families (census of December, 1860) 537,728, averaging 

 4.8 persons in each. 



Consumption, 224 cubic feet per family, or 118,167,040 cubic feet per 

 annum. 



Excess of consumption over production 31,884,130 in 21 cantons, and 

 3,071,390 less in 4 cantons; excess of consumption for the whole 

 country, 28,812,740 cubic feet. 



Exportation, 12,431,000 cubic feet; importation, 6,816,000 cubic feet; 

 excess of exportation over importation, 5,015,000 cubic feet. 



Difference between production and consumption, 34,427,740. 



From these data it appeared, that the forests supplied only 76 per 

 cent, of the material needed for consumption, or, if other combustibles 

 were included, there would still be a deficiency of 4 per cent. The 

 commerce in woods showing a balance against the country continued to 

 be carried on at the expense of the forests, and from year to year tended 

 to constantly increase this difference. The metallurgical and other in- 

 dustries were also continually tending to create a greater demand, and 

 already in some cantons this inconvenience was gravely felt. 



Concerning the influence of woodlands upon the water-courses, and 

 the maintenance of fertility in the soil, the report above noticed re- 

 marks as follows : 



1. The irregular conditiou of the water-conrsos which swell, discharge rapidly, and 

 overflow in heavy rains, is due to the clearing off of mountains, especially in steep 

 slopes. The rains run ofl:' such denuded slopes as they would from a roof, and dis- 

 charge themselves quickly into the nearest streams. The I'ain falling upon a forest 

 is on the contrary divided, a part remaining on the leaves, is evaporated, or comes 



' The hydraulic part of this investigation was assigned to M. Hartmann, an engi- 

 neer of Basle, and M. Culmann. of Zurich ; the geological, to M. Escher de la Linth, 

 and the forestal to Prof. E. Landoldt, now connected with the Polytechnic Institution 

 at Zurich. I'he latter, in June, 1871, made a report to the Federal Government, from 

 which many of the facts hero presented were derived. (Bapjjort an Conseil Federal sur 

 les Forets des IlauUs Montagues de la Suisse, inspecihs dans les ann4es 1858, 1859, and 1860. 

 Lausanne, 1862, p. 3G6.) The author of this report was accomjianied in each canton 

 by a forester officially employed under cantonal authority, except in those that had no 

 Buch officers, in which M. Wietlisbach, inepector of forests at Aarau, performed this 

 service. 



2 In adjoining countries this proportion was stated to he as follows: Austria, 39 per 

 cent.; Southern Germany, 25 to 33; Prussia, 29; and France, 16. But deducting por- 

 tions absolutely sterile, the forests of Switzerland occupied about 22 per cent, of land 

 capable of improvement. 



