well worth the consideration of the Irish Land Commissioners whether the
lands remaining on their hands, when buying and breaking up large
estates, should not be converted into state forests. Such a measure
might become a useful auxiliary in the peaceful settlement of the Irish
land question. No doubt success depends upon the probable financial
results. There are at present no British statistics to prove such
success; hence, by way of illustration, it may be stated what the
results have been in the kingdom of Saxony, which, from an industrial
point of view, is comparable with England. That country has 432,085
acres of state forests, of which about one-eighth are stocked with
broad-leaved species, and seven-eighths with conifers. Some of the
forests are situated on low lands, but the bulk of the area is found in
the hilly parts of the country up to an elevation of 3000 ft. above the
sea. The average price realized of late years per cubic foot of wood
amounts to 5d., and yet to such perfection has the management been
brought by a well-trained staff, that the mean annual net revenue, after
meeting all expenses, comes to 21s. an acre all round. There can be no
doubt that, under the more favourable climate of Great Britain, even
better results can be obtained, especially if it is remembered that
foreign supplies of coniferous timber must fall off, or, at any rate,
the price per cubic foot rise considerably.
These things have been recognized to some extent, and a movement has
been set on foot to improve matters. The Commissioners of Woods and a
number of private proprietors had rational working plans prepared for
their forests, and instruction in forestry has been developed. There is
now a well-equipped school of forestry connected with the university of
Oxford, while Cambridge is following on similar lines; instruction in
forestry is given at the university of Edinburgh, the Durham College of
Science, at Bangor, Cirencester and other places. The Commissioners of
Woods have purchased an estate of 12,500 acres in Scotland, which will
be converted into a crown forest, so as to serve as an example. The
experience thus gained will prove valuable should action ever be taken
on the lines suggested by a Royal Commission on Coast Erosion,
Reclamation of Tidal Lands and Afforestation, which reported on the last
subject in 1909.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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