148 AustrictrHungary. 



against irksome restrictions led to widespread illegal 

 exploitation and devastation, whicli as early as the ISth 

 century had proceeded to such an extent that in Tyrol 

 associations for protection against the torrents were 

 already in existence. Yet in Tyrol, scantily populated, 

 with one-third of its area unproductive and one-third 

 forested, devastation continued until recent times in 

 spite of the forest law of 1853, which instituted a forest 

 police and forest administration of crown and communal 

 forests. But in 1859 this organization was abolished 

 before anything of value had been accomplished. 



In Krain, which was unusually well wooded, forest 

 reservations were made for the use of the mines and 

 furnaces in 1510 and 1515, taking in aU forest lands 

 within a given radius. The balance was mostly divided 

 among small owners, whose unrestricted, unconservative 

 exploitation continued into the latter half of the 19th 

 century. 



In Styria, nearly one-half wooded and one-third xm- 

 productive, a regulated management was attempted as 

 early as 1573, and by subsequent forest ordinances of 

 1695, 1731 and 1767 devastation was to be checked. 

 But the resistance of the peasants to the regulations 

 and the inefficiency of the forest service were such that 

 no substantial improvement resulted. 



In Galicia unusually extensive rights of user in the 

 crown forests led to their devastation, and the attempts 

 to regulate the exercise of these rights by ordinances in 

 1783 and 1803 were unsuccessful. 



The forest area along the coast of the Adriatic in 

 Istria and Dalmatia had furnished shiptimber even to 

 the ancients. The Venetians becoming the owners of 



