state Forest Administration. 151 



Before 1849 the forest properties which the Crown or 

 State owned in the various territories were not managed 

 as a xinit or in any uniform manner, but a number of 

 separate provincial or territorial forest administrations 

 which were often connected with mining administrations 

 had existed, and these under the influence of the edu- 

 cated foresters issuing from the newly established forest 

 school had been much improved. Kevertheless the Cam- 

 eralists, as in Germany^ were at the head of affairs and 

 kept the technical development back until after the revo- 

 lution of 1848 when the accession of Franz Joseph I 

 brought many reforms and changes in methods of ad- 

 ministration. 



The Ministry of SoHculture and Mining was created 

 in that year and, as a branch of it, a forest department, 

 separated from the department of the Chase, to the 

 head of which was called a forester, Rudolf Feist- 

 mantel, who elaborated an organization. But before 

 much had been accomplished the Ministry and its forest 

 department were abolished (1853) and the forest do- 

 main again transferred to the Ministry of Finance. 



Feistmantel returned in 1856 as Chief of the forest 

 division in that Ministry, and his organization of the 

 forest property of the State into forest districts under 

 forest managers and into provincial "forest directions" 

 was perfected. 



Matters, however, did not thrive and, only when public 

 attention and indignation had been aroused by a policgr 

 of selling State property, a change of attitude took place 

 in 1872 which led to the present organization. This 

 places the State forest administration in the Department 

 of Agriculture, with an "Oberlandforstmeister" and two 



