STATE AND OTHER FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



105 



the thinnings are sufficiently severe to set free the crowns of the 

 best oak trees, their boles having then nearly attained their full 

 length. This enables beech undergrowth to spring up and serve 

 for soil-protection, and at the same time causes the oak to 

 increase considerably in diameter. 



In all thinnings, beech is always cut away, or lopped, when 

 interfering with promising oak ; suppressed oak are felled, but 

 suppressed beech are carefully left under the oak, so that the 

 ground may be covered by the leaf canopy. Softwoods are also 

 cut out, perhaps too rigorously at first. 



These thinnings are continued until the wood is about 175 

 years old, when it comes into the age-class of mature trees, 

 and is left untouched until the seeding felling is made. In the 

 older thinnings the trees are marked for sale and sold by the 

 cubic metre, as in the regeneration fellings. Such thinnings 

 usually consist of suppressed oak trees. 



Yield. 



The average number of trees in a mature crop is 80 per 

 acre, containing about 9800 cubic feet, worth about ^£450 at 

 I id. a cubic foot. The best standing crop, about ten years ago, 

 was 13,258 cubic feet (actual) per acre, worth about ^600. The 

 fixed annual yield of the principal fellings is about 30 cubic feet 

 per acre for the whole forest, while the thinnings yield about 

 20 cubic feet per acre annually. 



The following figures, giving the yield from thinnings at 

 different ages, were kindly supplied by M. le Levreur, the 

 inspector of forests in charge. 



