sible that certain features of it could be with 
advantage introduced into the United States. 
The gist of the law and the method of its 
administration is about as follows: 
UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF 
SWEDEN’S FOREST LAWS 
That privately owned forest lands must be 
cut in such a way that the perpetuation of the 
forest shall be assured and that if cut other- 
wise the owner must take necessary steps, un- 
der supervision, again to bring the forest into 
productive condition. (Incidentally this is not 
unlike “minimum silvicultural requirements” 
proposed by Col. Graves, in February, 1919.) 
A further law, passed in 1918 as a war-time 
measure, but since re-enacted, deals with the 
regulation of intermediate cuttings (thinnings), 
so that together these laws safeguard not only 
the continuation, but also to some extent the 
character and quality of the existing forests. 
Perhaps this will be more apparent if a word 
is inserted here as to the methods of forest 
management generally followed in Sweden, for 
while the usage differs from place to place, es- 
pecially between the northern and southern 
provinces, it all conforms to a general system. 
This is, essentially, that the young forest is 
given a light thinning when from 20 to 30 years 
old. Other thinnings follow, approximately at 
intervals of 10 years, until the stand is 60 to 
80 years old. A heavy thinning then takes 
place that opens up the crown canopy, induces 
the production of seed and gives some ad- 
ditional increment to the best trees that are 
allowed to remain for the final harvest. This 
cut is made 20 years or so later, the rotation 
varying from 80 to 100 years, longer in the 
north. It is very seldom that more than 10 
acres (2 hectare) are clean cut in any one 
spot. It follows that the stands are of rela- 
tively limited area. Reproduction is secured 
either naturally from seed trees, or artificially 
by seed sown in seed spots, or by planting out 
nursery grown stock. The usage varies with 
the natural conditions obtaining in each local- 
ity. 
The underlying object is, of course, to secure 
the largest financial return. The proceeds from 
the thinnings contribute materially, for it must 
be remembered that Swedish forests are very 
intensively managed and that owing to local 
economic conditions, ready markets and a per- 
manent road system in the forests, it is pos- 
sible to dispose at a profit of what to an Amer- 
ican is incredibly small stuff. The larger logs 
go out for lumber or as pulp wood, the tops for 
which there is no other market are made into 
charcoal, and in many places there is a ready 
sale even for the small slash that results from 
the cutting. In several of the crown forests 
I saw wood stacked for charcoal burning, some 
of it to be shipped, where the diameter at the 
small end was barely one-half inch! There is 
no trouble about practicing intensive forestry 
under such conditions. In the northern, prov- 
inces the methods approach more the plan of 
V 
selection cutting, but as rapidly as possible, 
on both government and private land, the idea 
is to put the forest under working plans that 
shall develop what the forester terms a “nor- 
mal forest,’ i. e., a forest with normal age 
classes, in size and distribution, normal in- 
crement, and normal growing stock. And at 
the present rate of development it will not be 
long before most Swedish forests are in this 
condition. 
HOW THE FOREST 
COMMISSIONS WORK 
On the theory that more effective control 
could be exercised and that friction could 
thereby also be reduced to the minimum, the 
law of 1903 specifies that the regulation of the 
private forest owner shall be by a committee of 
local officials, residents of the district over 
which the committee has jurisdiction. Conse- 
quently the laws of 1903 are administered by 
local bodies that are entirely independent of 
‘the Swedish Forest Service, and for that mat- 
ter of one another. Each of the 24 provinces 
(lin) has a forest commission. The only es- 
sential connection between them seems to be 
that all submit annual reports following a 
common outline, that are issued together in a 
single volume, which by the way is published 
by the Swedish Forestry Association. The key- 
note of the whole thing is strict local autonomy. 
Each forest commission is made up of a gov- 
erning committee of three members who serve 
without salary, but receive traveling expenses 
for attending meetings. All are local men, 
usually prominent citizens and landowners, for 
it is considered a distinction to hold the posi- 
tion. One, the chairman, represents the gov- 
ernment, one, the provincial government (the 
executive council of which is called the 
Linsting); and one, an influential private as- 
sociation (Hushallnings salskap) whose func- 
tion is to promote the interests of the local 
community in general, but particularly in mat- 
ters having to do with agriculture and with for- 
estry. This association seems to perform many 
of the functions that in the United States come 
under the head of farm bureau work. 
The three committeemen decide on questions 
of policy and direct the work of the paid staff. 
Ten meetings a year is the rule in a district 
that may be considered as typical. Under the 
commission, and acting as secretary but with- 
out a vote at the meetings, is employed a pro- 
fessional forester (Linsjiigmistare). He is 
usually a man of some maturity, and often one 
who has had considerable previous experience 
in the Forest Service. His standing and salary 
is essentially the same as that of the super- 
visor of crown forests. He usually has one or 
more professional foresters as assistants, and, 
throughout the province, a number of rangers, 
each in charge of a stated district. There is 
also an office force of a number of persons. 
The duties of the forester and his assistants 
are twofold; first, inspective in character, to 
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