The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-04-20
swEDEN's LESSON IN FORESTRY
As 1t Applies to Vermont Told by
Forestry Department.

Although Sweden is one of the mos
defensive exporters OF timber, and tn,
market conditions there are not nearly
as good as those prevailing in most parts
of Europe, the forestry work is particu
Ilarly interesting to Americans because
OF this very fact, that market conditions
are more like our own than in Germany
and France. Much of the land was for
merly very badly deforested, but since
1875 the government has been steadily
purchasing forest areas of the country
making state forests amounting to
about twelve million acres, ian area
twice as large as vermontl. The eff
shown from the fact, that of this total
area less than five hundred acres were
burned over in 1905.
| About AZ per cent of the population
| of Sweden is engaged in the practice of
agriculture, but like the farmers of
Vermont, they make considerable part
of their income by working in the for
ests during the long winters. The wood
industries alone employ $1,000 work
men. Owing to the great amount OF
snow most of the numbering is done on
sleds, as in northern New England.
The chief trees of Sweden are Scotch
pine and Norway spruce, and in the
southern part there is also considerable
beech and oak. Birch and aspen are also
present. Sweden exports to other Euro
pean countries, mostly to Great Britain,
about S54,000,000 worth OF lumber and
wood annually. The government i'm
poses an export duty on this, part of
which is used in the maintenance of the
forestry department. Compared to those
of the German states, the state forests
are of very, low value, and the income
is proportionally small. However. the
net revenue has increased during the
last thirty years from 100000 to ST.
10000.
While the state forests are not as in
teresting as those of some OF the other
countries, many of the Swedish commu-
mites have become famous for their mu-
nicipal, or so-called "Spar" forests. The
returns from these are used for the pay
ment of taxes for the maintenance of
schools, hospitals, and other public pur-
poses. They have also furnished an ex-
ample for the present forest protective
movement, which has lately gained much
Roadway.
BY law passed in 1905, provision was
made for county conservation boards;
these boards to have control of private
forests. The law does not prescribe in
detail what is to be done, but leaves il
10 the discretion of the board. The
boards have the right 70 enforce their
rulings in the courts by injunction,
money fines, confscating of logs, etc,
and the regulations are strict. The
owner has the right to cut as he pleases,
but if natural regeneration of tree
growth fails to appear, he is obliged to
plant, the board determining when the
necessity for such planting has arrived.
More forest planting is done in the
southern provinces of the country.
About 1000 trees per acre are planted,
nursery stock and labor being cheaper
than in this country.
In 1902 a lumberman's trust was
formed to regulate the output, but the
attempt to restrict the cut proved
failure. 1t was expected that the law
of 1905 would tend to decrease the cut
for the time being, at any rate, until
the forests had regained their former !
condition.
Sweden, like Vermont. has suffered |
from emigration, due to lack of profit |
able industry. 1t should be interesting |
in the light of the diminishing industries |
Of certain parts OF Vermont, to consider |
The measures which such progressive |
have taken for the maintain
lnce of their industries, and the perma
lent prosperity of the people.