VIII 



THE FORESTS OF RUSSIA IN EUROPE* 



Owing to the disafforestation which the last few 

 centuries has witnessed in Europe it was held com- 

 paratively recently that amongst European States 

 Russia, Sweden, Norway, and Austria alone possessed 

 areas of forests in excess of their requirements which 

 enabled them to be exporters instead of importers of 

 timber and other forest produce. Our Board of 

 Trade Returns show that so far as Russia, Sweden, and 

 Norway are concerned, the same held good up to the 

 outbreak of the war in August 1914. That Austria 

 was also in the same position there is little doubt, 

 although, owing to her geographical situation, her 

 imports to us were small, consisting principally of oak- 

 timber. Russia has been termed the " Land of 

 Forests " and she well bears out the name, for her 

 woods in Europe are of enormous extent, embrace a 

 variety of soil, cUmate, and species of tree, and where 

 they exist are very intimately bound up with the 

 welfare of the population. Of their importance and 

 influence on the national life the following is rather 



1 The information contained in this article is based on observa- 

 tions made and statistics collected during a visit to Russia, and on 

 publications of the Russian Government. It formed part of an 

 ?,rticle published in the Nineteenth Centwy for March 1916. 



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