68 FORESTRY IN GERMANY. 



forests situated within the government district Of which he is the head, and 

 by whom all orders are issued. The privileges of the communes in their 

 forests consist in their having sole benefit of all the income or any other 

 profit derived from the forests. The use of the pastures, as well as the straw 

 and grazing, is usually permitted to the consumers whenever such use is very 

 necessary, but is so far restricted that the condition and value of the forests 

 and the maintenance of the pastures may not, suffer thereby. The communes 

 are bound to bring all sand dunes and waste lands under forest cultivation as 

 soon as it is shown that it can be profitably done. On all sales of communal 

 forest area the permission of the government must first be obtained. 



ORGANIZATION AND FUN^CTIONS OF GOVERNMENT FOREST BUREAUS. 



The state forest administration is under the Ministry for Agriculture, 

 Domain and Forest. The chief direction of forest affairs is divided into 

 four heads : 



1. The central direction: Forest Department in the Ministry for Agricul- 

 ture, Domain and Forests. 



2. Local direction : Inspection and control by the district government 

 under the Department of Taxes, Domain and Forests. 



3. District administration by the chief forester {oberforster), respectively 

 the Bureau of Receipts and Disbursements. 



4. Forest preservation and special superintendence over the management 

 of the subordinate foresters (the so-called forstschutzbeamteri). The revision 

 of all forest accounts is done at the so-called Ober-Rechnungskammer (Head 

 Bureau of Accounts) of the Ministerial Department. The entire organization 

 is based upon the division of the state forests into so-called oberforstereien 

 (forest districts). Every principal forest district is an independent adminis- 

 tration, for whose administration a separate finance is kept, and the chief 

 forester, who is the responsible administrator of the finance, submits all the 

 accounts, through the forest treasurer of his district, to the Finance Depart- 

 ment of the government for auditing. 



The duty of the oberforster (head forester) is to watch and take care of 

 the preservation of his forest district and to make his administration useful 

 in every possible way. It is, therefore, the duty of the oberforster to possess 

 the most exact knowledge of the working of the district confided to his care, 

 and not to neglect visiting the forest daily, if possible. The oberforster is 

 an independent officer, and is alone responsible for the duties and salaries of 

 his assistants. 



The oberforster, on having passed the scientific examination required by 

 the state, is appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Domain and Forest, 

 and receives a definite salary, with the right of pension. His rank is that of 

 a government assessor. The extent of each forest district varies. There are 

 679 forest districts in Prussia, and the average size of each district is 3,496 

 hectares. 



