Rasprava o starosti hrastovih šuma na stranicama Šumarskog lista
The Debate on the Age of Oak Forests on the Pages of Šumarski List

Author(s): Hrvoje Volner
Subject(s): Historical Geography, Environmental Geography, Methodology and research technology, 19th Century
Published by: Hrvatski institut za povijest
Keywords: oak; acorning; Romans; arable land; hornbeam; beech; forestry; Šumarski list (Journal of Forestry);
Summary/Abstract: This work is concerned with the treatise of the manorial forester Radošević entitled “Pabirci za šumarsku povijest hrvatsko-srpskih šuma” (A Compilation for the Forest History of Croatian-Serbian Forests) published in Šumarski list during 1891 and 1892. The author provides interesting theses on the origins of oak forests in our regions, which support the claim that “oak forests in Croatia were planted by the Romans for the purpose of feeding pigs with acorns, which was a significant economic activity”. The work also adduces the counterclaim advanced by forest assessor Barišić “that the Romans perhaps afforested some fields with oak” but basically agrees that the oak is not indigenous to our area. The treatise abounds in examples with which the proponents of these stances confirm their views, and at the same time tell of the scholarly methods, knowledge and experiences used by the foresters at the end of the 19th century. In order to gain a clear picture of issues raised by the foresters, we rely on the viewpoints of modern forest professions and other expertise on the subject of the age of oak forests in Croatia.

• Details
• Contents