Municipal forests of public utility: historical origins and present management model

Abstract

This paper reviews the formation of the municipal and communal forest heritage on the basis of different medieval systems. It then describes the transition from communal to municipal ownership in the last half of the 19th century, the disentailment of many of the Church’s properties, and the creation of the catalogue of forests of public utility which were not subject to disentailment. An explanation is given of how the management of these catalogued forests went from the municipalities to the central State and how the State continued to manage them in a centralized, vertical and hierarchical way. Reference is also made to the claims for communal forests by farmers’ organizations and to the attempts to make these claims effective during the Second Spanish Republic.After stating that the most adamant centralism was exercised during the Franco dictatorship, the paper goes on to describe the transition from the State forestry administration to that of the Generalitat of Catalonia, noting that the Catalan Government largely maintains the centralized monopolistic vision of the old system. Lastly, the question is posed as to whether the present system of management of the catalogued municipal forests should be maintained or whether more participatory and democratic systems should be implemented.

Keywords: municipal forest, communal forest, disentailment, participation.