An attempt is made to give, for the first time, a detailed account of the history of'forests and forestry in Wales, from the last Ice Age up to the establishment of the Forestry Commission (1919). The account is based on palynological and archaeological evidence, classical literature, a wide range of manuscript
and printed sources, place-name evidence, field studies and oral testimony.
Chapter 1 summarizes the available evidence for the development of the forests of Wales after the last Ice Age, and assesses the effect of man on the forests
fr6m Mesolithic times to the Iron Age.
Chapter 2 describes the man/forest relationships in Wales during the Roman period and the Dark Ages.
Chapter 3 describes the military significance of'the Welsh forests during the period leading up to the Edwardian Conquest, and gives a detailed account of the
forests and woodlands in medieval Wales, with particular reference to their multiple use. The monasteries were important influences in this period, and special attention is paid to the monastic woods.
Chapter 4 describes the deterioration of the forests of Wales from the 16th to the 18th century, and the influences on them during this period, with special reference to estate-building and the four major industrial forest
products: charcoal, shiptimber, tanbark and pitwood.
Chapter 5 describes the general development of private estate forestry in Wales in the 18th and 19th centuries. This general picture is complemented by a detailed study or forestry on one Welsh estate for which unusually full
records are available, viz. the Glamorgan portion of the Plymouth Estate. Finally, the measures taken to acquire statistical data on Welsh woods in the 19th century are outlined, and also the trends leading up to the formation of a national forest policy and the establishment of the Forestry Commission.