Forests in the War Zone 



DISPATCHES and special reports from various "F'aul Descombes. discussing the progressive depopu- 



points in Europe differ as to the damage done lation of France, gives some statistics to show that the 

 to forests within the war zone and to the effect thinning of the woods and forests is largely responsible, 

 which the cutting, destruction by artillery fire, forest There are thirty-one French departments that are 

 fires, and bv the logging and marketing of timber from more or less mountainous. These now have S. 1)94,940 

 the forests in enemy's territory 

 which has been captured, will 

 iiave on forest conditions in the 

 future. 



Some of these reports are 

 here given for what they are 

 worth and because they are in- 

 teresting. 



A special newspaper dispatch 

 from Bar-le-Duc, France, says : 

 "The splendid forests of the 

 Argonne, as well as those of the 

 Alsatian slope of the \'osges 

 Mountains and of the Woevre, 

 are being gradually razed by 

 shell and shrapnel fire. Of the 

 majestic pines that covered these 

 heights there remain only hacked 

 and l)lackened stumps and a 

 wild tangle of fallen trunks. 



"Germans and French have 

 cooperatetl in this devastation.. 

 but the greater destruction is 

 credited to the intense, concen- 

 trated fire of the 3-inchers and 

 6-inchers that alone could dis- 

 lodge underground German 

 fortresses. There is said to be 

 abun(l;nit evidence that all the 

 ground had been carefully plot- 

 ted and the ranges taken by the 

 Germans before the battles. On 

 many occasions French detach- 

 ments following obscure paths 

 unknown to any but the wood- 

 men of the region, fell a prey to 

 the fire of German gunners, for 

 whom there seemed to be no secrets in the thickets of inhabitants. If the old rate of increase had been main- 

 the Argonne. Against the advantages of preparation, tained, their population now would be 11,89G,366. Alon- 

 the French had but one resource — a complete upheaval sieur Descombes points out that the mountainous regions 

 of the entire ground by concentrated artillery fire. If of Switzerland, which should not be any less favorable to 

 the French succeed in driving the Germans finally into repopulation than the mountainous regions of France, 

 the open, the priceless forests of the entire region of show an increase of more than -50 per cent in popula- 

 the Argonne from Rar-le-Duc north will exist no more." tion during the last si.xty years, and he attributes it to 

 the fact that forest protection in Switzerland is far more 



An(,)tlier dispatch, this time from Paris, quotes a well- rigorous than in France." 

 known Frenchman as saying that forest preservation is A cablegram from Amsterdam says : "Tremendous 



necessary to maintain population. It says: forest and moor fires are raging in various parts of 



909 



Photu by Vndi-ywoud & Underwood, New York. 



FRENCH FOREST DESTROYED BY CERMAX SHELLS 



This forest land in the northwestern part of France sheltered several Britisli regiments until the Ger- 

 mans discovered them, and, concentrating a terrific artillery tire on the woods, drove the British out 

 and destroyed the trees, as the photograph so well illustrates. 



