, 1873-11-12
EXTRACTS
OF OCTAVIUS NUTZHORN'S
"SKOV OG LAND" 1873,
TRANSLATED FROM
THE DANISH.
II. THE LAW-RESTRICTED AND
THE UNRESTRICTED USE OF
FOREST.
CONTINUED


In earlier times a much larger area of
forest was required for the use of every
person in this country DENMARK than
now, partly because the growth OF the for
est was but small on account OF the lnJudI-
Cious treatment of the woods, and because
the consumption of the fuel was many
times greater owing to the bad cOnstruc-
ton of the stoves in those days, and partly
because the woods at that time, when stall
feeding was in little use, had to yield food
and home for numerous heads OF cattle,
horses, sheep and hogs as well as tor the
large hocks Of game. BY degrees, as the
population and consequently the consump-
ton increased, and more and more OF the
land was taken under cultivation, the time
necessarily approached, when the consump-
ton exceeded the annual growth but SO
rich was Denmark in forests, that 1t was
only in the middle of the 18th century,
that in certain parts of the country fear
began to be entertained OF a possible det-
cheney. A severe blow was dealt the for
ests during the Kalmar-war and the succeed
ing second Swedish war %1657-6O, when the
Swedes, who already in lines of peace appear
" nave dCQuIICu Vic IdDI VI AONHt'S VIZ
woods of neighbouring countries, deYasta-
ted and totally destroyed tracts OF many
miles of forest. However, the forests
were not spared even by the inhabitants
themselves. Frederick the Second had to
call upon the owners of forest land IN Flu
nen and Laaland, to plant new trees IN the
place of those they had cut down, in order
that those islands should not at q future
time suffer from the want of the necessary
fuel and timber, and the same king was
obliged to forbid generals and other officers
from following the chase and telling the
trees on their own hand, to the injury OF
the inhabitants''-a circumstance which
shows, how forests were at that tim
looked upon as common property.
1t was however only in 1870, that Gov
eminent found occasion to issue the first
general Ordinance concerning forests, be-
ginning with this sentence As we are
being informed, [shewing that the clrcum-
stance had only then come to be noticed
how here in Our kingdom of Denmark the
forests are notably decreasing and deterlo-
rating;'' after which follows series Ofenact-
ments for the protectionand treatment OF the
trees. But the evil had then gone too tar to
be arrested by general measures; needysPec-
ulators bought large Estates and destroy
ed the woods attached to them, to procure
the money to pay for them; at the same
time tenants acquired their farms in fee
simple for an equivalent, which they gen
orally paid at the cost of the trees. The
increase of the population was accompanied
bv a decrease Of the trees, while a con-
sumption of fuel and the number OF cattle
and horses, allowed to feed in the woods,
augmented. The rise in the value OF
timber and fuel was a temptation to des-
troy the forests favourably situated tor a
market, and the rise in the value OF land
tempted to destroy the trees at such
places even where the wood could not find
purchasers. Government felt that the
well-being of the country and society
pointed in a direction opposite to the system
Of free development, but in vain did 1T
repeat and render more rigouroGs the
Ordinance of 1870 by the Ordinances OF
1880, 1857, 1910 and 1898, all beginning