910 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



the forests was not so great by 

 far as some forest experts 

 feared. Naturally in those parts 

 of forests in which fights have 

 taken place, and that were for a 

 longer time covered with show- 

 ers of cannon balls, a great num- 

 ber of trees have been broken 

 and m u c h more have bee n 

 wounded. F.ven the mills in 

 later time will ha\e some trouble 

 in cutting this wond, as every 

 now and then rifle balls and 

 (lieces of iron from exploding 

 shells ha\'e jienetrated into the 

 wood. I'lUt Cdmpared with the 

 whole of the luist Prussian for- 

 ests, the direct losses of trees 

 are small. A very interesting 

 feature in those parts that were 

 occupied bv the Russians during 

 the last winter arc the numerous 

 subterranean rooms, that in one 

 place alone, as I calculate, may 

 have given shelter for more than 

 10,(100 men. F(.)r miles long the 

 S(_iil of the forest is holed in this 

 way. All rooms hax'e been cov- 

 ered by wooden props and earth. 

 Many thousand cubic feet of 

 Wddd from smaller trees are 

 used for that. At other places, 

 :i>, fiir instance, the wnnderful street along a small 

 clianncl, the old nak. willow and elm trees have been cut 

 li\- the Russians to get free shooting. But on the whole 

 these ile\astations of wood offend more the feeling and 

 tiie lo\e (if nature than that thev are ini[)ortant in the 

 sense uf forest economy. 



"Ry far more important are the devastations of edi- 

 fices. It is highly interesting tn see that these devasta- 

 tions stop immediately at the old Russian frontier. If 

 the Russians say that the destructions are caused only 

 by some undisciplined [leople, such as Cossacks and 

 Tscherkessians, this fact [iroves the contrary, for an 

 undisciplined truup makes no difi'erence between its own 

 and foreign country. 'I'he destructions are caused by 

 the direct urder of Russian army commanders who have 

 (.rdcred the destruction of all luiljlic and private property 



of the ctjuntry. ( )ne may calculate that in this way more 



A corres])i:indent of the Xcw < hdcans I.itinhcr Trade than -.'iloimi houses ha\e been burnt at places where 

 Journal, who is a petty otiicer in the ('.ennan Army com- never a gun has ln-en fired nor a fight has taken place. 

 iT.anded hv \'on llindenburg, contends th.it ihc forest l-'ri)m 10 to '.'o milliun cubic feet of timber, mostlv of 

 destruction in the war zone is not so great ;is some ( lerman pine, will l)e wanted for the recimstrnctii ui of 

 reports indicate. He sa\s : these house>. 



"Latelv I ha\-e often had the uppi irtunit) tu \iNit the "In the tinil)er market, so far as foreign timber is con- 



battlefields (if the glorious \ictories of -Marshal Hind- cerned, the ■-ituatidu is praclicalK unaltered since mv last 

 enburg near Tannenljerg and nmnd the Masurian seas, report. .\sh is w.inted at all tinie^, but the price is falt- 

 It was evident that the eti'ect of the war in general on ing a bit." 



Photo by 1 ntcniational News Sci:'icc. 



A i-Ri:xcn oi',si:r\ ATiox post 



Here the trunks .Tnd Iiranclies uf trees in one of the r'rettch forests have Iieen cleverly used in an 

 effort to shield and to hide an advanced post. 



Silesia, according to the Rerlin Tageblatt. Around the 

 district of Wittchcnau some villages lia\e been e\'acu- 

 ated, and war prisi.niers are engaged in thrtiwing up 

 trenches to assist the fire brigades in fighting the lire^." 



A newspaper article widely printed in the L'nited 

 States says: "It is reported that the French and German 

 Governments are utilizing war prisoners for ref(.)resta- 

 tion work. It is said that vast forests have been entirely 

 destroyed Itv the fighting. The ground in many places 

 is absolutelv sterile, the announcement says, Itecause of 

 fumes and gases from b(imbs and explosives of various 

 kinds. It is understood that the h'rench (Government i^ 

 paying fifty cents per day to the German jirisoners for 

 the work. The regular foresters are all at the front." 



