AMERICAN TREES FOR FOREST PLANTING IN FRANCE 



By p. L. Buttrick, 

 Assistant Professor of Forestry, Michigan Agricultural College 



Recently there has been much discussion of the possibiHty of the 

 use of American tree seed and nursery stock for forest planting in the 

 devastated regions of France. 



French foresters have for many years experimented with exotic 

 species and are familiar with the possibilities of most of our American 

 trees. They are perhaps more familiar with the planting possibilities 

 of some of our western conifers than are we ourselves. 



It may be of interest to American foresters to see just how some 

 of our American species are regarded by French authorities. Accord- 

 ingly there follows an annotated translation of the notes on American 

 species taken from the list of exotics mentioned in the latest edition 

 of a standard French textbook on forestry. This book is entitled 

 "Sylviculture" and is by Albert Fron, an inspector in the Department 

 des Eaux et Forets. The book is part of the Encyclopedic Agricole, 

 from the Press of Bailliere et Fils, 19 rue, Hautfeuille, Paris. The 

 last edition is that of 1!)JS and considers the lessons of the war, and 

 is therefore in every way up to date. 



To start with, it may be interesting to quote from the author's dis- 

 cussion of the value and use of exotics in French practice beginning 

 on page 170; he says: 



"Forest owners may in some cases make advantageous use of certain 

 foreign species. It would quite evidently be a large error to give pref- 

 erence to exotic species over indigenous ones ; the former should never, 

 save very rarely, occupy other than a secondary place in the forest. 

 In an accessory role, they may be introduced into a stand, sometimes 

 in mixture, or in small groups, sometimes on the edges of the woods 

 and sometimes along roadsides. 



"To proscribe them entirely would be to fall into an inverse exag- 

 geration, since there are without doubt certain foreign species able 

 to render us great service. 



"Several have already proved their value and have taken their place 

 in our forest flora. The Austrian black pine (Pinus Laricio, var 

 Austriaca), a species to all intents foreign. The Weymouth pine 



815 



