Forest conservation in the south of Western Siberia in the first half of 1918

Regional peculiarities of organization and implementation of forest protection activities are of real significance for the history of Russian forestry. This article aims to research the main directions of the Soviet power activity concerning forest protection in the south of Western Siberia in the first half of 1918. The complex of the archive and published data from regional archives and libraries is the basis of the article. In the first half of 1918, the Soviet power was established and a new state forest policy began to be implemented. All forests were nationalized and declared national property; any property on woods was canceled. The state began to take care of the condition of forests. Revolutionary events and change of the political regime in the country led to a large-scale social and economic crisis which influenced the forest industry. The number of unauthorized fellings of the wood dramatically increased, and complete destruction threatened valuable forests. Weakened control of woods also caused an increase of forest fires. Forest protection from fires and unauthorized fellings was of real importance for activities of the central and local authorities, of forest officers. Forest protection was declared a general civil duty and non-fulfilment of it caused legal responsibility. The local population had to carry out fire-prevention measures, take part in extinguishing of forest fires and protecting woods from illegal use. Control of forest exploitation and organization of forest protection was assigned to local authorities of the Soviet power as represented by land departments of executive committees. Forest officers did not solve major issues of forest management, first of all, related to the supply of the population and other consumers with wood. Forest management began to base on the principle of collective leadership. The new principles of the organization of forest protection activities were fixed in several regulations of the Soviet government, the most important of which was the decree "About the Woods" passed in May, 1918. Due to the short period of the activity of the Soviet government in the south of Western Siberia in this period, the new model of forest management only began to take shape. After accession to power of the Provisional Siberian Government in the early summer of 1918, all decisions of the Soviet government, including forest protection laws, were canceled.

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