PERIODICAL LITERATURE. 

 FOREST GEOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION. 



Dr. Martin continuing his account of for- 

 Forestry estry conditions in France, discusses the 



'* in coppice, which plays such a large role in 



France. French forests, occupying probably over 7.5 



million acres. The most important species 

 is the oak in several species, also blue beech, ash, elm, birch, willow 

 and poplar are frequent. Chestnut and Black Locust are found 

 especially in Southern France. Since most of the coppice forest 

 is in private hands the statistics are very incomplete. In the State 

 forests a rotation of 20 to 30 years is applied to 56% of its cop- 

 pice, 10 to 20 years to 32% and over 30 years to 10%. The ma- 

 jority of the communal forest is also managed in 20 to 30 years 

 rotation. 



Regarding production the coppice stands lowest with 11.5 cubic 

 feet per acre in the State forest and 18.5 cubic feet in the com- 

 munal forests, as against 41 and 24 for timber forest of these 

 two classes of proprietors. On this basis Tassy calculates that 

 this coppice management costs society a loss of 60 million dollars, 

 more than half the direct taxes of the country. 



Two primitive forms of coppice are still in vogue, le taillis sarte 

 in which the debris is spread out and burnt, and then a grain or 

 hoed crop is grown, and le taillis furete, in which the sprouts are 

 cut as it were in selection, four to five fellings being made during 

 the rotation, always taking the stoutest sprouts ; this to secure 

 better fuelwood. The result is, as with other unevenaged forms, 

 a deterioriation of the stand, the sprouts become poorer and the re- 

 pletion of stocks difficult. 



Tanbark coppice is very general in hands of private owners, 

 some 350 million pounds being the annual product which is sold 

 at about $14.00 per ton. While the maximum product might be 

 attained in 12 to 15 year rotation, these woods are usually man- 

 aged in 18 to 25 year turns in order to secure a better wood pro- 

 duct. Growth conditions are excellent, and replenishing of stocks 

 does not seem much required ; where poor growths in oak coppice 



