21 



and operations began as the necessary tools became 

 available. Eventually we had operations in the Vosges 

 Mountains and the Jura Mountains in the Landes in 

 southwestern France and in the hardwood forests of East 

 Central France. 



The French foresters were, quite properly, very 

 solicitous of their forests and insisted on our following 

 their cutting practices faithfully, even to slanting 

 the tops of stumps in hardwood coppice cuttings so 

 water would run off, in order to minimize rot in the 

 stump which could affect the subsequent sprout growth. 



In the United States the Forest Service was asked 

 to accomplish a variety of war tasks, including helping 

 to guard railroad tunnels and bridges in or near the 

 national forests. The Chief Forester had asked most 

 members of the Service to stay on the job because of 

 the need to contribute to the war effort in various 

 ways. However I felt a strong urge to join the forestry 

 engineers in France. I wrote Greeley, who was already 

 there, and before long got orders to try for a captain s 

 commission. 



Among other steps was a physical examination. I 

 was naturally pretty slim and feared I might not make 

 the minimum weight so, on the morning of the examina- 



