Ownership. 387 



coppice {ceduo), 60 per cent, under selection system 

 (a scelta) and 10 per cent under clearing system 

 (ad alio fusto ) , although management hardly exists ex- 

 cept in small gi-oves. 



That supply of workwood is insufficient for the needs 

 of the population, and decreasing, is attested by the fact 

 that the importations more than doubled in the decade 

 from 1892 to 1903 to near 14 million dollars, 80 per 

 cent of which was saw material, while nearly 5 million 

 doUaot-s* worth was exported in the last named year, 

 mostly cork, casks, tliin boxboards, olive wood manufac- 

 tures, and cliarcoal. No better picture of the forest con- 

 ditions can bo had than by a statement of the home 

 production which in 1886 (last official data) was placed 

 at 48 million cubic feet of workwood, valued at 3.4 

 million dollars, 223 million cubic feet firewood, valued 

 at 4.1 million, 106 million cubic feet charcoal, worth 3.6 

 million, and by-products to the large amount of 6.4 

 million dollars, altogether a little less than 17.6 million 

 dollars. Firewood and charcoal, which represent over 

 80 per cent, of the product, are, of coxirse, furnished by 

 coppice, and in addition by the pollarded material, 

 almost the only fuel to be had. ^ 



The ownership of the forest area is for the greater part 

 private (53 per cent.) and communal (over 43 per 

 cent.), tlie State owning less than 4 per cent. The State 

 property being so small, supervision of commimal and 

 private forest has become the policy. 



The State forest is of two classes, the alienable, under 

 the Department of Finance, tlie larger part, about 376- 

 000 acres, and the inalienable, so declared by law of 

 1871, of about 115,000 acres, which is under a forest 



