La gestión privada de los montes públicos en España. El caso del empresario Echevarrieta (1920-1933)

Abstract

This article deals with a businessman who exploited the Spanish public forest land during the inter-war period. This study helps to fill a gap in the history of Spanish forestry, suffering from a general shortage of examples such as the one presented here. I will detail the various stages of his forestry endeavour, set against the background of his other businesses, and point to possible causes of his failure. In order to accomplish this, I will use a first-hand source, the Echevarrieta y Larrinaga collection in the Civil War Section of the Spanish National Historic Archive. Finally, I have come to the conclusion that the difficulties in the felling process itself, market complexity, transportation problems together with the lack of protection are the main factors that explain why private enterprise did not always fair well in the forestry business