FRESH WOODS 109 



Gulf of Bothnia, while the upper half is bounded by 

 Sweden. 



From time immemorial the forests of Finland have 

 played a very important part in the development of 

 the country. In the distant past, when the popula- 

 tion lived a nomadic existence, they hunted in the 

 forests to supply themselves with food. With the 

 advent of agriculture, the forests still continued to 

 play an integral part in the life of the people. Areas 

 were felled and burnt to provide additional room for 

 the raising of crops, the ashes of the burnt materials 

 forming a valuable manure for the new fields. The 

 method is still practised in Eastern Finland, economi- 

 cally wasteful as it is. Materials for building purposes, 

 heating and cooking, agricultural implements and so 

 on, were all derived from the forests. But except to 

 provide the local needs of the population the forests 

 had little other use. Until comparatively recent times 

 there was no export of forest produce, nor were the 

 forests conserved in any way. Small beginnings were 

 made in 1862-3 with the establishment of a Forest 

 Service and a forest school at Evo. But progress 

 languished. It was thought that agriculture would 

 pay better ; and for years subsequently all efforts 

 were concentrated upon this business. It was grad- 

 ually perceived, however, that the high hopes placed 

 on successful agricultural development were to be dis- 

 appointed ; exports of agricultural produce remained 

 small, while, so late as 1907, Finland was importing 

 over £4,000,000 worth of cereals, grain, etc. On the 

 other hand, during this period, the value of the forests 

 gradually increased. The exports of timber, from 



