158 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Copyright by Underwood &° Underwood, N. Y. 



Method of Hiding Artillery. 



prench soldiers in the region of the aisne shelling the german trenches. so well is this gun hidden 

 that it could not be seen by an aviator unless he was flying so low that he would be subjected 

 to rifle fire. 



total of what has been already cut 

 represents a very considerable damage. 

 A wood merchant, in my regiment, tells 

 me that it will require at least thirty 

 years to renew the growth of that 

 which has already perished, so that the 

 forests shall return a revenue. 



DESTROYED FOR ARTILLERY PURPOSES. 



The forest of Vitrimont, behind 

 Luneville, has been completely razed. 

 In the forest of Meaux, lanes from one 

 hundred and fifty to three hundred feet 

 in width have been cut at intervals of 

 every thousand feet. This was of 

 course for the purpose of allowing the 

 artillery to shower its murderous fire 

 over a wide area, as though through 

 some gigantic loophole. One cannot 

 find a remnant of copse or thickets; 



all the trees and saplings have dis- 

 appeared throughout the razed area. 



Near Neuf chateau, the fort of Bourle- 

 mont had been built upon land which 

 had been donated for the purpose by 

 the Count of Alsace. The magnificent 

 forest in front of it was entirely felled. 



In the forest of Champenoux, every 

 tree was cut down, leaving the trunks 

 standing to a height of about three 

 feet. This was the method of cutting 

 generally followed at the beginning, 

 when strategic reasons demanded that 

 an area be cleared. The standing 

 trunks made it easy to construct the 

 barbed wire entanglements and barriers 

 which prevented any raids by either 

 cavalry or infantry. Recently, this 

 method has ceased, by order of the 

 Minister of War, as it was deemed 



