Forest legislation of Peter the great: traditions and innovations

Abstract

Russian Tsar Peter Alekseevich, who went down in history as a reformer and the first Russian emperor, in his activities to transform the patriarchal Moscow kingdom into the modern Russian Empire affected almost all spheres of state activity. He did not lose his attention and forest legislation. According to the authors of the article, Peter created the foundations of forest legislation, the main feature of which was the protection of state interest to the detriment of the private. Thus, the authors of the article believe, that Peter’s etatist views were clearly manifested in his forest legislation. At the same time, it should be noted that when developing forest laws, Peter was forced to take into account tradition and apply innovations to established customs. According to the authors, this explains the contradiction of Peter's forest legislation. At the same time, the authors believe that Peter was forced to solve problems that can be called environmental, defending state interest in forest management.