THE SOGNE FJORD (_continued_)
At Frönningen a profitable business is done in tree-felling. Large
forests of pine and fir clothe the steep sides of the mountains here,
and modern saw-mills are erected at the foot of a torrent by the margin
of the fjord.
Seen from here, the glaciers of Fresvik and Rambæren, both over 5,000
feet high, stand out boldly against the sky.
A very charming effect of sunshine and shower won my attention near
here one afternoon in the month of May. Immediately in front of the
steamer, and from the mountains on one side of the fjord to those on
the other, stretched a most vivid rainbow; the snow-capped mountains of
{96} Lyster were faintly visible beneath the arc, through a misty veil
of rain-gauze. As the steamer proceeded the rainbow appeared to
retire, so that we were not to sail under the beautiful _arc-en-ciel_
on that occasion. Instead, we were presently enveloped in driving
rain, and to pace the wet and slippery decks was no longer an enjoyable
occupation. The mountain-forms were all wiped out by the rain-curtain,
and, from a state of comparative calmness, the waters of the fjord
became almost as choppy as the open sea.
This condition of the elements did not last long, however. In the
space of an hour all was again in brilliant, almost dazzling, sunshine,
the rocks and trees on the mountain slopes sparkling with raindrops,
and the air became fresh and cool.
It will be observed, as we sail along, that this district is more
thickly wooded than almost any other part of Sogn, many of the
mountains being quite covered with the dark foliage of pines, even to
their summits.
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The real forest trees of Norway are the Scotch fir ("furu"), the spruce
("gran"), and hardy birch. These trees grow all over the country,
sometimes in unmixed, continuous forests covering large areas, but,
generally speaking, they are associated with oak, elm, and ash, in
smaller numbers.
In the eastern and southern parts of the country these trees cover the
mountain slopes from the bottom of the valleys up to a height of some
2,500 feet above sea-level; at this elevation they are succeeded by
hardy forests of birch up to another 1,000 feet; higher than this the
shrubs of the mountain plateau--the dwarf birch--only survive.
Small forests are found near the coast in places where they are
protected by islands or promontories from the sea winds, but we must go
farther inland, and to the heads of the larger fjords, before we can
come across any large extent of forest-covered country. The western
part of Norway, however, is not remarkable for its forests in
comparison with the eastern districts.
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Hedemarken Amt (county) has the largest forest area, while Stavanger
Amt has the smallest. Of the timber intended for sale, considerable
quantities are sent abroad, chiefly spruce and Scotch fir. Birch is
found throughout the country, as a rule in company with other trees,
and may be seen brightening up the dark coniferous forests with its
silver bark and delicate foliage. There are two species of birch--the
lowland or white birch, with graceful drooping branches, and the hardy
mountain birch, which is rather darker in colour and more stunted in
form. It is only in the most northern countries that the "lady of the
woods" attains its full beauty. The birch is one of the most useful of
trees, the wood being used for a great variety of purposes. The inner
bark is used for tanning, and the outer, thicker, bark for the roofs of
houses, being placed under the thick covering of turf. The leaves are
used as fodder for cattle.
Among other species of trees which grow around the lowland farms and
{99} meadows are found the aspen, whose wood is used in the manufacture
of matches, the alder, the rowan and hazel, along with the useful ash.
The wood of the last-named is largely used in the making of the "lang
ski" (snow-shoes).
Timber-felling usually begins in the late autumn. It is an arduous and
ofttimes dangerous occupation, and requires hardy and strong men. As
the larger forests lie often at a considerable distance from the
inhabited districts, many weeks are spent by these woodmen in log huts
specially constructed for the purpose in the vicinity of their work.
The timber, having been felled and stripped of its bark, is collected
in convenient places, and when the snow is sufficiently deep, it is
then hauled to the nearest river, where it is stacked to await the
melting of the snow and ice, when it is floated down the swollen
torrent or river, and by this means it is carried down to the lake or
fjord and taken to the saw-mills.
Norway in ancient times had a larger {100} area of forest than it has
at the present. In the fourteenth century the Hanseatic League
appropriated the commerce of the country. They cut down the forests
nearest the coast, also farther inland around the fjord districts, and
exported the timber, having at that time considerable commerce with the
Dutch, and later--in the seventeenth century--with the English and
Scotch.
Forest fires, and the growing consumption of timber, as the population
increased, along with reckless felling on the farm lands, have been the
means of denuding the west country of the larger forests, thus leaving
the mountains comparatively bare and desolate and the plateaux a
wilderness.
The State owns very extensive forests, chiefly in the extreme north and
east of the country, altogether covering an area of some 2,500 square
miles. These forests are under the control of forestry managers,
overseers, and rangers. A commercial system has been devised by which
these {101} forests are kept up to their original size and value, State
nurseries for the rearing of young trees having been established at
several places in the country, the two largest being at Voss and Hamar.
Three forestry schools for elementary instruction in the cultivation
and treatment of forests, and an agricultural college for advanced
instruction in the same, have been founded in recent years.
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