Forest issues in the agrarian legislation of Rio Grande do Sul

Addressing forest issues through the agrarian legislation of Rio Grande do Sul involves an issue placed at the core of the historical process of land propriety. Indeed, the issue has been taken to Justice and subject to decision by the magistrate to this day, and is now the topic of this paper. Thus, an analysis is made starting from the Land Law of 1850 up to the present Brazilian Forest Code to the light of forest issues into the evolution of the agrarian legislation. Furthermore, as a methodological motto, the study draws on the understanding that land was a key element to enhance the process of capitalist rationalisation from the Empire to the Old republic; thus, an effort is made to identify the relations with forest issues and the respective permanence and changes of legislation over time, confronting both public and private interests.