Österreichs Forstwirtschaft in der Zwischenkriegszeit 1918 - 1938 / eingereicht von Norbert Weigl

• VerfasserIn: Weigl, Norbert
• Place / Publishing House: 1996
• Year of Publication: 1996
• Language: German
• Physical Description: 258 Bl.; graph. Darst.

eng: Researching contemporary forest journals and ministerial files there can be found out different reasons for the crisis the Austrian forestry went through during the period between the two world wars, for example drawing up native wood as reparations or export good providing foreign currencies, extensive taxation on wood and timber and finally a sales crisis referring to wood, followed by a disastrous decay of price. Because of the increased need of wood, the high taxes on wood and the social charges, forest overexploitation became nearly usual in some Austrian regions. Before the outbreak of the international economic crisis, the profitability of the Austrian forestry got lost. A lot of forest enterprises operated at a loss and got into indebtedness. Forest tendings, adjusted to the principle of sustained yield, hardly were objects of business management investments. A lot of lumbermans were dismissed and an increasing number of foresters could not find a job. Considering this misery, he Austrian forestry appealed to publicity and called for support. Public authorities and agricultural organizations adopted extensive promotions with intensification of forest production by accessibility and forest planning, increase in sales by adequate advertising and intensive exploration of the manifold applications of wood as their principally aims. For the first time forest advice and public relations work were purposed on a wide basis. In spite of this crisis Austrian forestry seemed to be an indispensible instrument concerning German expansionism because of the increased tightness in the case of raw materials as a result of the German preparations for a war. Forestry as well as foresters were described as indispensible members of the national economy and the German people by the National Socialistic propaganda. In view of a promising future the National Socialism succeeded in being admitted to a part of Austrian forest circles a fairly time before the annexation of Austria in the year 1938.