The history of the forester's uniform
Part 1 (1819-1835)
For 200 years, the uniform has been accompanying the everyday work of foresters, being so closely related to the specificity of the forest profession that it distinguishes this professional group from the background of other work environments. The forest uniform shapes the image of the "Lasy Państwowe" company, the entire professional environment of foresters and forestry workers. The uniform allows to easily identify foresters who are perceived in public opinion as honest and hardworking people with extensive knowledge of nature and technical.
The history of the Polish national forest uniform goes back to the time of the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland). At that time, the tsar of Russia and King of Poland Aleksander I, issued a decree establishing a forestry uniform and elevating the status of the Forest Administration of the Kingdom of Poland to the rank of Royal Forestry Corps. From here, up to the present day, modern Polish foresters wear uniforms with silver embroidery that depicts oak leaves and acorns.
The Royal Forestry Corps in the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland) 1819-1835
The Royal Forestry Corps was divided into eight classes, each of them assigned an appropriate uniform:
Class I: a) the Minister of State in the Government Committee of Revenue and Treasury; b) General Director of Governmental Forests and the Forestry General of the Governmental Forests; Class II: General Forester of the Governmental Forests; Class III: a) teachers of the School of Forestry; b) clerk, secretary, over-master in the Forest Department in the Government Committee of Revenue and Treasury; Class IV: a) forestry assessors; b) over-the-Forest; c) forestry secretaries; Class V: a) superintendents; b) forestry meter; c) office forest officials in the Government Commission of Revenue and Treasury not included in the third grade; Class VI: a) sub-Forestry; b) students of the Forestry School;Class VII: guards; Class VIII: forestry shooters.
The forest uniform of that period, like the military uniform, retained the Polish national symbolism - a white eagle, identical to that of the Napoleonic era.
© Leszek S. Pręcikowski 2018
