Legislation Activities in Ottoman Forestry and Influence of Foreign Experts in This Subject

The Ottoman interest to the forests was limited to military requirements until the midnineteenth century. Apart from the reserved forests for the Tersane (The Imperial Dockyard) and Tophane (The Imperial Arsenal), the forested lands were open for unlimited public usage and had hardly protection. It was not until the Tanzimat period that the Ottoman Empire regulated the forest management and took measures to protect the forests from arbitrary using. Except for the short-lived experience of Directorate of Forestry (1840-1841), the first comprehensive and outstanding plan based on scientific principles was put into practice after the Crimean War (1854-1856). Thanks to the efforts of French forest engineers amongst whom Lois Tassy stood out, the Turkish forestry was founded between 1857 and 1870. Besides exploring and mapping of the forests of Sinop, Gallipoli, Midilli, Teselya and Canakkale, Tassy promoted the establishment of the Forestry School in 1857. Also he prepared two proposals for the forest management in 1862. Despite the fact that his proposal was put into practice only in the coastal areas between Kusadasi and Iskenderun and in Varna for security reasons, 1862 arrangement was an important experience prior to the 1870 Forest Regulation. Tassy also contributed to the preparation of this Regulation which was a milestone for the Turkish forest management.