100 stories from the hiking route

1919 – Rava forest district starts operating

Information

Topic

The story of forestry

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 59.1235777777778

Longitude: 25.8457666666667

L-EST 97

x: 6555335.3
y: 605688.4

Location

Ähijärve-Aegviidu Hiking route

The Rava forest district was created on the basis of the nationalised forests of 21 nearby manors and farm manors as well as of the Russian Agricultural Bank. The premises for the office of the forest district were established in a stone building by the Rava spring fed pond around 1750, which had previously housed a tenant of the manor. A wooden mansard roof was built on top of the building later on. The first appointed forester was Hans Schütz.
The majority of the forest district was located on the western slope of the Pandivere uplands. During its peak, Rava forest district was distinguished by its highly productive spruce forests and for being the least marshy forest district in Järva County. In 1927, the total area of the forest district was 11,232 hectares. There was an extensive karst area near the forest district’s office at the Kurisoo guard and there were hidden cracks in the forest floor. In the old times, when farmers were offered the opportunity to have wood hauled in the winter, nobody wanted to come here with their horse, fearing that a horse would break its leg in the crevices under the snow. Thus, on occasion, logs had to be dragged out of the forest by ropes or cables.
Supplying the settlers with wood for construction, for which demand was higher at the Rava forest district than anywhere else – according to the district, there were about a thousand of those interested – entailed extensive work and many troubles.