The Forest Relationship and the Habsburg Resource Policy in 18th Century Transylvania

The General Assembly of the UN declared 2011 the International Year of the Forest. The title is used to raise the awareness on the modalities in which we can improve the health of forested areas currently covering 31% of the Planet`s total land area, according to the environmental organization that had the initiative of the event. The central point of the proposal is the analysis of the interdependencies between rural communities and the natural environment of the forest in eighteenth-century Transylvania, as well as the perils to which the environment was exposed as a result of this relationship. At the same time, the researcher will study the ways in which people perceived and approached their environment, thus revealing the contemporary normative procedures regarding the environment, with the possible outcome of a better understanding of the relativity of today`s concepts of nature and the environment. By this, the project aims to provide a better understanding of the resource policy during the eighteenth-century wood crisis, thus creating the basis for making a comparison with the present global resource crisis. The research will follow the anthropological constants that act at the structural level and often place the "usage" of forests chiefly for economic purposes and the "conflict" generated by the fulfillment of these needs in opposition, as well as the moral, customary, and juridical barriers that refer differently to the material resources of a community in general. That is why the present study will analyze how and to what extent the Enlightenment changed individuals and society`s perception of the environment in Transylvania. The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of the concept of "durability of forests," which is important not only regarding the economic functions, but also the ecological and social ones. The study analyzes the policy of the Viennese authorities regarding forests in Transylvania, and the subsequent conflicts over forests it ignited. Thus, the forest can be differently described according to the cultural context, studying the conflicts over it and the trials these conflicts generated. Furthermore, after the completion of this study, it remains to be seen to what extent the thesis on the emotionalization of forests in the eighteenth century still stands. The central point of the history of forests is to find out who, when, to what purpose, and from which perspective showed interest in forests. The present research will contribute to the general European historiography on the issue of forests by means of its connection to the results of the schools in Austria, Germany, England, France, Italy, and the Scandinavian countries. The study of the history of the environment`s perception, especially the forest, is part of the new European tendency in the protection and development of the concept of durability in the current European cultural context in which we all celebrate the year 2011 as the International Year of the Forest.

The project's objective was the perception of forests and the environment in Transylvania during the Enlightenment. It focused mainly on the relationship with the forest and resources in the eighteenth century. A major aspect of the analysis was the perception of forests in Transylvania in comparison to other regions from the Carpathian area, which were part of the Habsburg Empire. The relationship with the forest in eighteenth-century Transylvania can be divided into two stages: the first one covers the time from the Habsburg conquest of the country until the reforms of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, while the second one begins after these reforms which represented the basis for a regulated forestry and a rational relationship with the forest. Austrian mercantilism aimed at the exploitation of gold, iron, mineral and salt resources, which led to an intensive use of wood. This in turn provoked local crises, thus prompting a new direction regarding forestation policy, which laid emphasis on the cultivation of fast-growing plants. The shortage of wood, mentioned in numerous sources, which leads to the hypothesis of a wood crisis, was caused by the bad state of roads as well as the excessive use of certain tree species, mainly oak and birch. Toward the end of the eighteenth century, one can note efforts for the protection of forests, such as the introduction of new mining technologies, which used less wood, the limitation of people's and animals' access into forests, the creation of urban storage facilities for wood, and other wood saving measures; they can be considered measures with an economic aim. They switched from an extensive to an intensive use of forests. This prompted intervention from the new modern state which used its military and social authority. Only after disciplining the nobility and peasantry did the state have access to forest resources. One should also mention here that cameral domains also played an important role as the first access route of the modern state power. In order to use its own forested areas, it had to create a forestry administration first. This had to be taken into account during the Enlightenment also due to the rationalization of the use of forests according to economic circumstances. Obviously, such a measure required professionally-trained personnel as well. This was the first time when ideas regarding the systematic training of forestry civil servants started to be promoted. This was meant to ensure a professional forest management according to the new directives. One could also note a rigorous application of forest austerity measures by the population, which were imposed by the Transylvanian Gubernium according to dispositions from the Viennese authorities. Furthermore, many reform measures were implemented with difficulty or delay as late as the beginning of the nineteenth century due to internal disputes in Transylvania. On the other hand, the absence of forestry pedagogy was also felt throughout the investigated period, which is noticeable at present as well. The research findings are also useful to other scientific domains, such as ethnography (the development of the habitat and population structure), cultural history, and environmental history.