io6 THE PORESTS OF FINLAND 



the Central Powers and their prospective value and 

 importance when peace comes can be more or less 

 correctly estimated. The same may be said for the 

 forests of France and of some other western European 

 nations. Norway and Sweden, as is well known, have 

 continued to supply, down to the commencement of 

 the war, and in fact to the present time, large amounts 

 of materials of the classes here under consideration. 

 It is difficult, however, to forecast the extent to which 

 they will be able or prepared to assist us in meeting 

 the infinitely greater demands which must arise in 

 the near future. They have been taking advantage, 

 Sweden especially, of the high prices now existing. 

 But are they prepared to continue to do so and can 

 their forests stand the strain ? Sweden has been 

 cutting very heavily in her northern forests for several 

 decades past, large tracts of which were leased about 

 the middle of last century to big saw-mill companies. 

 There appears little reason to expect, or even, in the 

 future interests of the countries themselves, to hope, 

 that the Scandinavian Governments will continue 

 to consent to the exhaustion of their forests even 

 to take advantage of an excessive inflation of prices. 

 It has also become the duty of the countries most 

 directly concerned to endeavour to prevent such 

 an inflation of prices as would be the immediate 

 outcome of direct competition amongst themselves 

 in the timber markets. At the same time, it is a first 

 necessity in the interests of future generations that 

 the forests of Europe should be so managed that as 

 little interference as possible may take place in the 

 existing plans of management of the woods. Such 



