142 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



precautions against fire. These duties cannot occupy much 

 of the time of the executive staff. In the communal forests, 

 the extent of State control is much greater; although in the 

 lower ranks the communal service seems to be distinct from 

 the State service, the higher posts are filled by officers of the 

 State service. Taking the State and communal forests together, 

 there is an area of rather more than 7,000,000 acres under the 

 charge of forest officers of the State. The composition of the 

 active Forest service is as follows: — There are 32 Conservators 

 of forests, one for each of the 32 administrative districts into 

 which France is divided. There are 200 Inspectors of forests, 

 215 Assistant-inspectors, and 300 gardes generaux or Superintend- 

 ents. The duties of Conservators are clearly defined. They 

 do not include questions of policy, which are dealt with by 

 the Central Administration, but they give the Conservator 

 a free hand within his own area in certain clearly defined 

 matters. The Inspector is the executive officer for a limited 

 district; associated with him there is an Assistant-inspector 

 who replaces him when absent, and is essentially an out-of-door 

 official. The Inspector and Assistant-inspector are charged 

 with the execution of the working-plans under the direction 

 of the Conservator of the district. All the officers of the Forest 

 service receive their training at the Forest School at Nancy. 

 The nominations of candidates to this school are submitted 

 by the Director of the Central Administration for the approval 

 of the Minister for Agriculture. The forest school at Nancy 

 has great traditions, excellent facilities for demonstration, and 

 the efficiency of the Forest service in France is largely due 

 to the influence of this great school. 



"The notes which I have given you are drawn from the 

 Dictionnaire de P administration francaise, by Maurice Block. 

 I would commend a study of the article ' Eaux et Forets ' to 

 all those who are interested in the creation of an efficient 

 Forest Administration in Great Britain." 



Sir Hugh Shaw-Stewart, speaking on the question of the forest 

 authority, said: — "I do think that in view of what has fallen 

 at different times from the Secretary for Scotland, and from 

 Dr Greig to-day, it looks as if the authorities at present in 

 Scotland are content merely with an amplification of things as 

 they are, and I think as this is the Annual Meeting of the 

 Arboricultural Society, if those of us who place real value on the 



