FORESTRY IN ITALY. l8l 



Wliere the s}ope is greater than 30° or the earth loose and insecure, the imprpvement or 

 changing of the species shall be made by sowing and covering the seed or planting in furrows. 



Art. 2. AMiere the clearing is done in belts, the old trees are to be extirpated, and all 

 lateral roots which bury themselves too deeply in the undersoil are to be cut, and the trenches 

 thus occasioned are to be filled, first with the larger stones scattered about in the belts under- 

 going improvements and then with earth; or, where the inclination exceeds the above men- 

 tioned limit, or the nature of the soil demands it, the trunks alone will be cut. 



Art. 3. In addition to the above rules, the prescriptions of articles 74, 168 and 169 of 

 the laws of March 20, 1865, relating to pubhc works, S. F. No. 2248, for woods bordering on 

 mountain roads, national or provincial, or on the banks of streams and torrents will be 

 observed. 



Art. 4. Where or when a proprietor wishes to undertake such operations, he shall give 

 notice to the mayor of the commune in which the forest is situated. In such notice is to be 

 mentioned the period within which the work is to be completed, which in general is not to 

 exceed two years. 



The mayor will transmit such notice, with a declaration of the day on which it was 

 received, to the forest committee for the requisite decision at the forest office. 



TITLE II. 

 RULES FOR FORESTS OF LARGE WOODS. 



Art. 5. The improvements in these forests may be either by the complete removal of the 

 trank with stump, or by cutting the trunk, leaving the stump. This will depend upon whether 

 the trees are capable or not of developing themselves again from the stumps and roots left 

 behind; whether the soil is or is not sufficiently firm, and whether the slope is greater or less 

 than an angle of 30° with the horizon. 



In case the trunk with the stump is to be removed, the rules given in article 2 will be 

 observed. 



Art. 6. The season for the improvements of the forests will be from the first of October 

 to the last of March, except in localities where the snow usually falls early and is late in dis- 

 appearing, the said period may commence a month earlier and end a month later. 



Art. 7. It is permitted, for the purpose of improvement, to cut down the trees Standing 

 on an area not exceeding half a hectare, where the condition of the soil and the slope are in 

 accordance with the requirements of the first part of article I . 



Art. 8. Except in the above mentioned case, the improvements are to be made in belts ' 

 transverse to the slope of the mountain. The size and width of the belt will depend on the 

 degree of the slope and the character of the soil. Thus, in steeper slopes, or less secure soil, 

 the belts must be narrower. The greatest breadth shall not exceed fifty meters of horizontal 

 projection. 



Art. 9. Whichever of the two methods for the improvement be adopted to secure the 

 reproduction of the forest, a sufficient number of healthy and vigorous trees, not less than fifty 

 to tlie hectare, shall be left as sources of seed supply, and these shall only be removed when 

 the reafforestation is already secured. 



Whenever the proprietor intends to renew the forests by artificial means, he will take the 

 course mentioned in article 4. 



Art. 10. When the method of selecting or stripping is adopted, only such trees shall be 

 cut as are sufficiently mature for the purpose of the market, or are weak and defective and 

 hence a source of injury rather than assistance to the forest. All young trees, whose growth 

 is desirable, shall be left restanding. 



This shall only occur at certain periods, not annually. If necessary, however, and the 

 extent of the forest permits, the work, instead of being completed at one time, may be di- 

 vided, and a certain portion performed at fixed intervals or annually. 



Trees are in general to be cut above ground, but may also be cut below, if this can be done 

 witliout injury to the surrounding trees and saplings. 



