FRENCH FORESTS FOR OUR ARMY 



971 



the A. E. F. was able to purchase private forests at even 

 less than the current market rate. Colonel Joubaire un- 

 questionably saved the United States more than a million 

 dollars because of his skill in treating with private owners. 



value, which arose to two or three times the pre-war 

 value. The sale of private forests and the prices for 

 them were fixed by a Committee from the Board of 

 Armament, and it is interesting to note that the prices 



FRENCH FORESTRY TROOPS 



There is no waste in this kind of cutting nor is there any waste in disposing of tops and small branches. These are either used by the soldiers for 



fuel wood or civilians pay for the privilege of gathering them for fuel. 



Take this as an illustration : One of the first forests 

 operated by American troops — the Forest of Boisgen- 

 ceau — was offered for $800,000 by an Italian speculator, 

 and when the C. I. B. G. saw that the price was exhorbi- 

 tant the forest was immediately requisitioned for war 

 needs. The appraisal of Colonel Joubaire on the value 

 of the forest was secured and the final purchase price 

 was close to $140,000 as opposed to $800,000 originally 

 asked. In innumerable cases, where the demands of 

 private owners have been exhorbitant, as they almost 

 invariably were, Colonel Joubaire was able to reduce the 

 price to an equitable figure. When it is considered that 

 the A. E. F., when the final settlement is made, will have 

 purchased some $10,000,000 of standing timber in France, 

 the importance of the co-operation secured through the 

 C. I. B. G. can be fully appreciated. 



About 40 per cent of French forests are State forests, 

 about 20 per cent Communal and about 40 per cent pri- 

 vate. The prices for the State and Communal forests 

 were fixed by a Committee of the Department of Agri- 

 culture and the stumpage prices were based on the market 



for these private forests were about fifteen per cent be- 

 low the prices fixed by the Committee of the Department 

 of Agriculture. Some private forest owners desired 

 clean cutting, so that they might take every possible ad- 

 vantage of the prevailing high prices for their timber. 

 Others with an eye to future production permitted cut- 

 ting on a forestry basis only, while all the cutting of 

 State and Communal forests was entirely on a forestry 

 basis and was so regulated that on the average the pro- 

 ductive value of such forests was restricted not more 

 than five years. 



As France, prior to the starting of the war, imported 

 about 1,484,000,000 board feet of manufactured material 

 more than she produced, the French shortage must now 

 be met by continued over-exploitation of her forest 

 resources, by commercial imports, or by imposing a re- 

 fund of German timber from German forests. 



Over-exploitation is, of course, impossible because if 

 continued it would bring erosion, floods and unfavorable 

 climatic conditions, and would destroy local wood in- 

 dustries upon which many thousands of French people 



