A very good brief statement of present conditions of forestry in
Switzerland with some historical references may be found in
_Handwörterbuch der Schweizerischen Volkswirthschaft_, Berlin 1903,
with two chapters by DR. J. COAZ and Prof. C. BOURGEOIS.
F. FANKHAUSER, _Geschichte des bernischen Forstwesens bis in die
neuere Zeit_, Bern 1893, gives insight into the developments in one
of the cantons, beginning in 1304.
LANDOLT, _Ueber die Geschichte der Waldungen und des Forstwesens_,
Zürich, 1858.
_L’évolution forestière dans le canton de Neuchâtel,
Histoire-Statistique_ 1896.
BURRI, _Die kulturgeschichtliche Entwicklung und wirthschaftliche
Bedeutung des schweizerischen Waldbestands_, Luzern 1898.
MEISTER, _Die Stadtwaldungen von Zürich_, 2d ed, 1903, exhibits on
225 pages in great detail the history and methods of management of
this remarkable city forest of only about 3,000 acres.
_Report of the British Foreign Office on Swiss Forest Laws_, by
CONWAY THORNTON, 1888, gives a very satisfactory exposé of the
earlier legislation.
The interest which we have in the development of forestry in this small
territory, of somewhat less than 16,000 square miles with over three
million people, lies in the fact that it is a republic, or rather an
aggregation of republics, the oldest in existence, and that, occupying
an Alpine mountain country, it has developed a unique co-operative
policy of forest protection. Being largely German by origin and
sentiment, German influence on the development of forestry methods,
outside of the administrative measures, has here been as strong as in
Austria.
Switzerland did not exist as a power in name until the 17th century, and
as a unit not until the reconstruction of 1815, and in its present
settled condition and constitution not until 1848, although the nucleus
of its political existence dates back at least 600 years, when, in 1291,
the people of the three forest cantons, Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden,
formed their first league to resist encroachments on their rights by the
church and by the feudal barons.
The country became settled, similarly to Germany, by Germans, and
especially Burgundians, a free people; but when the control of the
Obermärker over the free communities began to ripen into feudal
superiority, it found resistance in the forest cantons, and these formed
a league to fight the duke of Hapsburg, who partly as feudal lord,
partly as Reichsvogt, the emperor’s representative, claimed obnoxious
rights. Through admission of neighboring lands and cities to the league,
the number of confederates had by the middle of the 14th century grown
to eight, and when, by the battles of Sempach (1386) and Næfels (1388),
the Austrian Hapsburg supremacy had been permanently destroyed, the
number of allies grew, and, by conquest and annexation and otherwise,
their territory attained nearly the present size by the middle of the
15th century; the war against feudalism being the cause for this growth.
These various small republics, however, always formed a part of and owed
allegiance to the German Empire, although they resisted the arms of the
Emperor as Archduke of Austria--until, with the peace of 1499, this
connection became entirely nominal. The final separation from the German
empire and acknowledgement of independence was not pronounced until the
peace of Westphalia, in 1648.
The league of cantons was only a very loose confederation without any
central power, although a diet, to which each canton sent a delegate,
had deliberative functions. Almost immediately after the alliance was
formed it became fatally divided, especially when religious differences
arose, and throughout the 16th and first half of the 17th century,
continuous warfare existed between the different allies.
It must not, however, be understood that the peasants in the different
cantons were entirely free from the ancient tyrannies. With the
exception of the three forest cantons, which were truly democratic
republics, the majority of the Swiss peasants, free in the eyes of the
outside world, were mere serfs until the beginning of the 18th century,
and secured their freedom only after many revolts.
After nearly 500 years of this loose federation, it was reserved to
Napoleon to proclaim the Helvetian Republic one and indivisible, in
1798, after a short struggle of 74 days. This constitution fell with the
fall of Napoleon, and gave place, in 1815, to a reorganized federation,
in which the former sovereignty of each canton was re-established, the
inviolability of the territory being guaranteed by the European powers.
Finally in 1848, the seventh and last phase of reconstruction brought
into existence the “Bund,” the Confederation of Switzerland, very much
after the pattern of the United States, the constitution then adopted
being once more revised in 1874.
The country is divided into 19 entire and 6 half states or cantons,
which are a unit towards foreign powers, but have as much independence
among themselves as each of the United States, each self-governing. A
parliament (_Bundesversammlung_) of two chambers--the _Nationalrath_ of
145 members corresponding to the House of Representatives, the
_Standesrath_ with 44 members, equivalent to the Senate--represent the
interests of the whole federation. The administration of the cantons
lies in the hands of the “great” and “small” councils, with an executive
ministry of three members chosen for two years by the former council.
The administration of the Bund is in the hands of the _Bundesrath_ of 7
members, elected by the parliament, which also elects one of the members
as president for one year. The Referendum, which, if 30,000 voters
demand it within 3 months, requires reference of any law to the direct
vote of the people is used as a check on legislation.
Although the larger part of the population of 3 million people is
German, parts of Switzerland are French, and other parts Italian.
From this brief statement of the political development of the country it
will appear that the development of forestry must also have varied.