PERIODICAL LITERATURE. 

 FOREST GEOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION. 



Belgium has a total area of 11,324 square 



Forest Conditions miles, of which 18 per cent is forest. Of 

 in Belgium this the State owns 76,000 acres; munici- 



and Holland. palities a little over 411,000 acres; other 

 public institutions 15,800 acres ; or altogether 

 503,000 acres under State supervision, leaving in private owner- 

 ship without State control 818.350 acres. Belgium having a pop- 

 ulation of over 600 per square mile, it requires a large importation 

 of wood materials, which in 1909 amounted to nearly 40,000,000 

 dollars. Lately the derivation of this import has considerably 

 changed for while in 1896 the importation from Russia was one- 

 half of what came from Sweden and Norway, in 1909 four times 

 as much was imported from Russia as from the other countries. 

 Russia evidently has become the main exporter among the Euro- 

 pean countries. 



The composition of the forest under State control shows 13 

 per cent broadleaf high forest, 23 per cent coniferous, 22 per 

 cent coppice, 39 per cent coppice with standards, and 3 per cent 

 young plantations. Until 1884 the policy of selling State lands 

 had prevailed. Since then the State began a policy of purchasing 

 waste lands for reforestation, of which the large amount of 350,- 

 000 acres exists. 



The net yield from the State forests for 1905 was only $1.72 

 per acre on account of the large area of waste lands included. The 

 communal forests yielded $1.81, the other public forests $3.45. 



Holland has a forest of 628,516 acres, or 7.9 per cent of its 

 total area; of this 328,628 acres is coniferous, which, however, 

 furnishes only small sizes, mainly mine timber. Of the broad- 

 leaf forest about 55,000 is high forest and 260,000 acres coppice, 

 mostly tanbark oak. The State forests comprise a little less than 

 200,000 acres. Neither municipal nor private forest is under 

 state control. Only three educated foresters with 20 guards form 

 the administrative personnel of the state administration. In spite 

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