' The activity and work of the Polish forester is, in general, much below that of the Russian corresponding official. The reason is two-fold: (1) The excessive centralisation of the forest administration; and (2) connected therewith the bureaucratic character of the administration. ' Through this the foresters are almost deprived of responsibility. They must obtain authority for the most trifling act, and even in cases in which the forester is allowed to act on his own responsibility, the writings or documents extend to ridiculous dimensions. Count Berg, on becoming acquainted with the administration and actual management of forests in Poland, remarked that he had never even dreamed of meeting with such voluminous and innumerable documents as were the communications of Polish foresters. From this arise great complications and confusion. For example, there occurs a case of theft for which a fine is imposed — in this case all the particulars must be detailed in writing twelve times; and should the accused resist payment, so that extreme measures must be adopted, the correspondence is endless.
' All of the Crown forests, with the exception of those taken over from the clergy of the Church of Rome, are managed systematically, and exploited in accordance with the advanced forest science of the day. This arrangement was effected within the period included in the years 1824
AREA, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT, &c. 47
and 1830, so that the greater number have, or will in a few years have passed through their first prescribed course of treatment. [By this, I presume, may be meant a complete revolution, but it does not appear whether that or the ordinary course of felling be what is meant; and this is referred to as supplying the means of forming an opinion in regard to the practicability and expediency of perpetuating the system initiated.]
' The management adopted is substantially the same as that followed in many forests in Russia — a preparation of the forest for regular treatment in accordance with the advanced forest science of the day, by the preparation of accurate diagrams, dividing the forests into compartments, determining the area of fellings for specified periods, and portioning the whole area of the forest so as to secure the requisite products in accordance with an economical use of the capabilities of the forest j and by projecting the exploitation and other operations to be followed out in the course of the decade, including the opening up of the forest by felled strips to give access to all of the compartments required, and making these approximately of equal areas; and by prescribing the operations to be undertaken according as the trees may be young, or middle-aged, or mature, or consisting of a mixture of trees belonging to any two of these categories in any variety of proportions.
' Assuming the operations to embrace a period of thirty years, if the mature section allotted for exploitation in any decade do equal one-third of the whole area, the clearing is confined to the section, and the deficient produce is obtained from other parts; if it exceed the third of the whole area, it is cleared so far as a sale can be assured for the produce.