364 Norway. 



country, that the financial results of the forest adminis- 

 tration and the conditions of the property are most un- 

 satisfactory. 1 



The forest service is in the Department of Agricul- 

 ture under a director (Shovdirector) and 4 Forstmeister 

 or inspectors with some 37 executive officers and 360 

 rangers under various names, who are in charge of for- 

 est districts, plantations and nurseries. The districts 

 are so large, sometimes several million acres, and many 

 of them so inaccessible that only the most extensive man- 

 agement is possible; the officials being poorly paid and 

 poorly educated, the management is not of a high order. 



Besides a "forest engineer," vrho is a public lecturer, 

 the officers of the forest department are under the obli- 

 gation of advising private forest owners in their man- 

 agement, under contracts somewhat similar to the pres- 

 ent practice of the TJ. S. Forestry Bureau, the own- 

 ers agreeing to follow the advice. 



Siace 1860 the State has begun to purchase forest 

 lands for reforestation in the forestless districts and 

 where, for protective reasons, it is desirable. In late 

 years regular appropriations of $15,000 to $30,000 were 

 annually made for this purpose, besides extraordinary 

 grants. In this way, the cut-over lands, neglected by 

 their owners, are cheaply acquired by the State. Besides 

 its own planting, the State assists private owners by ad- 

 vice and money grants in reforesting their waste lands. 



The communal forests are under government super- 

 vision; they are usually worked under plans and under 

 supervision of foresters with a view to supply the needs 

 of the communiiy. Only when the area is more than suf- 

 ficient may they obtain the right to cut for sale outside 



