Forest Conditions. 9 



the rule, until necessity arises for greater care in the 

 exploitation, for more rational distribution of farm and 

 forest area, and finally for intentional reproduction of 

 wood as a useful crop. 



Correspondingly forest conditions change from the 

 densely forested hills and mountain slopes during the 

 age of the nomad and hunter to the "enclaves" or patches 

 of field and pasture enclosed by the forest of the first 

 farmers, then the opening up of the valleys and low- 

 lands, while the hills and mountain farms return to 

 forest and finally with the increase of population and 

 civilization in valleys and plains a reduction of the for- 

 est area and a decrease of forest wealth. 



While we have many isolated references to forest cory- 

 ditions and progress of forest exploitation among the 

 ancients in the writings of poets and historians, these 

 are generally too brief to permit us to gain a very clear 

 picture of the progress of forest history; except in iso- 

 lated cases, they furnish only glimpses, allowing us to 

 fill iu the rest to some extent by guess. 



That the countries occupied and known to the an- 

 cients, even Spain and Palestine, were originally well- 

 wooded there seems little doubt, although in the drier 

 regions and on the drier limestone soils, the forest was 

 perhaps open as is usual under such conditions, and 

 truly arid, f orestless regions were also found where they 

 exist now. Although it has been customary to point out 

 some of the Mediterranean and Eastern countries as 

 having become deserts and depopulated through defor- 

 estation, and although this is undoubtedly true for 



