A pamphlet written for the International Exposition at Rio de
Janeiro in 1908, contains a chapter written by a forester, Borges,
which gives most recent and authentic information.
Besides notes scattered through the literature, an article by L.
Pardée, a French botanist, in Revue des Eaux et Forêts, 1911, gives
an extensive description of forest conditions and especially of the
forest of Leiria.
The small kingdom which occupies the west coast of the Iberian
peninsula, with 34,000 square miles and 6 million people, is in many
respects similar to Spain, except that a larger portion is fertile,
being situated in the litoral region, the climate less excessive, and
the people somewhat more enterprising. Not much more than one-half of
the country, however, is utilized; nearly 15,000 square miles being
waste.
Three sections or zones are recognized, the northern, bounding on Spain
which is mainly mountainous but also contains extensive sand dunes, is
the best wooded; the central, which is hilly and less well wooded,
contains (in Estremadura and Beira) one of the most desolate regions of
Europe and at the same time the best managed forest; the southern, the
richest in farm lands, with semi-tropic climate and flora, the zone of
evergreen broadleaf flora.
About 10% of the land area, or 4 million acres are under forest,
although 2 million more are wooded with olive, fig, almond plantations,
or open woodlands and brushwood. Of the actual forest area the State
owns only 82,000 acres, 30,000 of which reforested areas or sand dunes
in process of recovery.
The composition is nearly one-half of pine (_Pinus maritima_ and
_pinea_), one-fifth, cork oak “with pastures,” a little over one-fifth,
other evergreen oaks “with pastures,” and the balance, chestnut and
deciduous oaks.
The fact of the extensive private ownership and the reference to the
pastures in the enumeration of forest areas suffice to give an idea of
the condition of most of them. The oak forest is also to a large extent
still used for hog raising.
Besides the native forest areas, there are in existence a number of
parks and plantations of exotics, the climate of Portugal in parts
resembling that of California and permitting a wide range of
introductions, even tropical. There is perhaps nowhere such a good
opportunity of seeing the most varied forest flora in fine development
as the forest parks of Montserrate, of Bussaco, and in the various
botanical gardens.
Extensive Eucalyptus and Acacia plantations, some 1500 acres, of high
economical value, near Abrantés, are the enterprise of a private
landowner, W. C. Tait.
The deficiency of wood supplies is covered by an importation of about
1.5 million dollars against which there is an export of a little over
half a million, mainly cooperage stock. The best developed forest
industry is the growing of cork giving rise to an export of around 5
million dollars. A considerable naval store production is also
developed.
* * * * *
The first attempt at a real management of the State’s property dates
from 1868; a regular organization, however, did not take place until
1872, when, under the Director-General of Commerce and Industries, a
forest administrator with a technical staff of three division chiefs,
corresponding to the three sections of country, and six forestmasters
were installed.
At present, the staff of the Inspector consists of 8 technically
educated assistants, each in charge of some branch of service. Under
these, there are a number of field agents or supervisors (some 14 in
1903) with less education, and underforesters and guards.
The only really well managed forest, the pride of the Portuguese
foresters, is the forest of Leiria in Estremadura, a planted pinery of
about 25,000 acres, on which over 50 men of various grades are employed,
with naval store distilleries, impregnating works, and saw mills. Its
management (in natural seed tree system) dates from 1892.
Besides attending to the management of the State forests, a committee
composed of the administrator and some of the technical staff, were to
examine the country and decide what parts needed reforestation. As a
result of a very full report, in 1882, a reboisement law was enacted
under which some of the sand dunes were fixed.
In 1903, a more thorough organization of this work took place, which,
with liberal appropriations, promises more rapid progress.
This law recognizes two ways of placing private property under a
forestry regime, namely obligatory and facultative or voluntary.
Territory in the mountains and on dunes may if deemed by the superior
Agricultural Council as requiring it from the point of view of public
utility be placed under the regime by royal decree. Or else private
owners may ask to have their properties so placed, either merely
securing police protection, obligating themselves to keep the property
wooded, or working under a working plan or reforestation plan provided
by the Forest Service.
In either case the owner is obliged to pay the guards and at the rate of
about 2 cents per acre for the working plans. Planting material is
furnished free or at cost price, and exemption from taxes for 20 years
is granted for reforested lands. Expropriation of waste lands declared
as of public interest is provided, if owners object to enforced
reforestation. Some 275,000 acres have so far been placed under the
forestry regime.
There are provisions for forestry education in the School of Agriculture
at Lisbon, or the education for the higher positions in the forest
service may be secured at German or French forest schools, and some have
secured it at Vallambrosa.