Abstract
A VERY recent report has appeared on this subject in the shape of a small Blue-Book which deals with the various aspects of the forestry question in certain of the more northerly States of Europe, such as Germany, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Coburg, and Gotha. The Report, which contains matter of great interest in many ways, is the outcome of the proposals of Dr. Lyon, M.P., to rehabilitate the ancient forest system in Ireland; and although the greater part of it deals with the administrative and commercial results, in themselves of great value, many facts are elucidated which bear upon the natural history of the countries under discussion. The Duchy of Gotha contains a forest area of 32,054 hectares, of which at least 94 per cent, are massed together in the Thuringian Forest, whilst the remainder cover the height above the plains, at an elevation of about 900 metres above the sea. The geological formation of these heights is for the most part Lower New Red interspersed with thick veins of porphyry, while that on which the plain forests are situated is limestone. At least 85 per cent. of the Gotha trees arc pine, the remainder consisting of larch, oak, maple, ash, birch, and elm. The Duchy of Coburg does not possess half the forest area of Gotha, there being only 15,718 hectares altogether, of which 86 per cent. is pine. Considering the minuteness of information which is gathered together by most of the German Departmental Bureaus, it is surprising how difficult it is to obtain statistical knowledge on the subject of forests, the reason being that each State has its own Department of Agriculture, quite irrespective of the Imperial Administration. Prussia, however, seems to have been more awake than the others, to the desirability of attempting to cultivate other than indigenous trees in the kingdom ; and in the Budget for 1880, no less than 50,000 marks (2500l.) was set aside for the purpose. The following list was made out of new trees, but as there has not been any further mention of their introduction in subsequent Reports, it is uncertain how far the proposal was really carried out. The trees were as follows:—
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
The Forests of Northern Europe . Nature 30, 397–399 (1884). https://doi.org/10.1038/030397b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/030397b0