SWEDISH WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 September 1934, Page 4

SWEDISH WOMEN

WORK IN FORESTRY. Among the many professions practised by women in recent years may be counted forestry. In former as in present times there have always been many women landowners, but, though the property usually included forest land, very little importance was attached to the care of it, states the “International Women’s News.” When timber or other forest products were required the requisite number of trees were felled without any steps being taken for reafforestation. In the beginning of the twentieth century, however, certain laws were passed for the protection of private forest land and Boards' of Forestry were simultaneously set up in most of the countries to ensure that these laws were enforced. These boards were particularly helpful to women landowners, who could obtain the advice of experts on their difficult problems. Previously there had been practically no profits made on forestry other than a small trade with occasional ships bound for Stockholm and other Baltic ports, whereas _for many centuries there have been inspectors to supervise and assist women landowners in profitable farming. In 1920 there were 988 women in one single county who owned property with small or large areas of forest,. and there has been ■

an increasing, demand for technical and practical knowledge of forestry. INSTRUCTING WOMEN FARMERS. Fredrika-Bremer Forbundet was among the institutions which realised the need for greater knowledge among women farmers; an agricultural school was founded at Rimforsa, j and women were admitted to the ■ State schools at Ultuna and Alnarp, ’ women experts were procured, and finally women were allowed to enter for the theoretical courses: In the case of forestry, however, greater . difficulty was encountered. Although help could be obtained through representatives of the'Boards of Forestry, this became very expensive in the long run, and for the modern woman it cannot be satisfactory to work under such supervision. There are at present many notable women doing admirable forestry work without having had technical training at any institution or school—women who have been obliged by circumstances to take over the administration of their father’s or husband's property, or who have been driven b- r a deeply-rooted love of forest life to study the ways and means of its cave by long practical experience. It is now possible, hoWever, for women to get admission to forestry schools, as in the case of a woman who is at present receiving instruction at Om- , berg. The school routine affords a | ■ healthy, pleasant life—the day begins at 7 o’clock with four hours’ theoreti- i' cal instruction indoors, followed by I five hours’ practical work in the open ! air. ( It would hardly be possible for the j average woiuai; to qualify fully as a i *

forester, as it is necessary to have practical experience of tree felling and timber floating, which would be difficult to acquire. But the chief point is that women who own forest land should be able to gain a certain amount of knowledge which will enable them to cultivate it profitably, and it is satisfactory to learn that these facilities are now being offered to them.