STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS IN THE WAR 



1043 



and Briey mark the vast and undulating line of forest in 

 Belgium and France." 



It is in this great zone, and under the protection of 

 the immense forests of our northern frontier, that Luden- 

 dorff tried to direct the retreat of his armies when once 

 forced to abandon the forest of Saint Gobain, the central 

 bulwark of the Hindenburg line. As was foreseen, the 

 forests of the Ardennes offered to Ludendorff a favor- 

 able ground for the establishment of a new center of re- 



time, the forests have played a glorious and momentous 

 part in the campaign. 



This should not be forgotten when we now think of 

 repairing the immense disasters and the bleeding wounds 

 suffered by these majestic forests. As evidence of our 

 gratitude for the part the forests have played, let us 

 leave to nature, intelligently aided by the work of for- 

 esters, the task of patiently reconstructing them. Nature 

 is a good mother ; she knows how to do things quickly 



FOREST DESTRUCTION ALONG THE FIGHTING LINE 



This before the war was a well wooded ridge, the famous Messines Ridge from which the British drove the Boche by terrific shell fire. The photo- 

 graph shows what is left of the trees after the several tornadoes of shell, machine gun and rifle fire which swept over the ridge. 



si.stance around which the German right wing could pivot. 

 The resumption of our ofifensive in the north surprised 

 him. Von Hutier received the order to vacate the pocket 

 of the Laon and to abandon the precious support of the 

 forest of St. Gobain. He concentrated all his forces on 

 the plateau which follows the canal from the Oise to the 

 Sambre, supporting himself in the rear on the forests of 

 Mormal and the Nouvion, — that immense green block 

 which the map shows us to the north of the Cateau. The 

 forest of Mormal, more than 9 miles long and about 6 

 miles deep, constituted for the enemy a point of sohd 

 support and a formidable obstacle to the advance of the 

 Allied armies. It was necessary to make the Boche 

 evacuate this dangerous obstacle by well planned turning 

 movements. The British thought that this would be too 

 long a piece of work, and audaciously resolved to force 

 the issue. The army of Rawlinson turned at the same 

 time the powerful defense formed by the forest of 

 Andigny, which the troops of the army of Debeney occu- 

 pied. On November 4 the great green block on which the 

 Boche had counted to retard our offensive fell into our 

 hands. Far from disproving the strategic importance of 

 the forests, these facts confirm it. Only the heroism 

 of our poilus kept it from being of great and prolonged 

 value to the enemy. 



What more powerful demonstration could be wished 

 of the strategic importance of forests in war? Appreci- 

 ated in time of peace by the tourist and the hunter, who 

 find in their charming walks an easy and agreeable pas- 



and well. Let us assist, not hinder her, in her work. 



It is not necessary to ask these forests — already bled 

 white, to furnish wood of every nature for our front lines, 

 torn by shot, often devastated thoughtlessly by troops — 

 to furnish in increased quantity the necessary materials 

 for the reconstruction of our liberated regions. The 

 Boche must pay back in kind the wood which he has 

 forced us to spend without stint in opposing the fury of 

 the invader. Our French forests, and particularly our 

 beautiful forests of Ile-de-France, ought to enjoy a long 

 and well merited rest from the devastating ax and, above 

 all, let us not give aid to their enemies by allowing the 

 hunting of game, which the war has stopped. The 

 natural balance in the animal life of the forest has been 

 re-established by the war itself. Let us not favor the 

 return of the rodent under the pretext of restoring 

 hunting, often so harmful to the regeneration of 

 our high forests. These massive stands, after the 

 long and hard campaign, need a long and well earned 

 rest ! They have had their long months of suffering ; let 

 us leave them to refresh themselves in perfect peace. By 

 their strategic importance, which our great military chiefs 

 have not forgotten, they have saved France. In return 

 let us permit them to recover themselves. Failure to aid 

 them in healing their numerous and glorious wounds 

 would be not only a crime of treason against the country, 

 it would show how poorly we understand the real inter- 

 ests of the nation. 



"In the depth of the wood the country has its heart." 

 This should never be forgotten. 



