Canadian Forestry Journal^ March, ig2o 



and coniferous species are used for 

 an overwhelming proportion of the 

 work, the most common of which are 

 the pines, P. sylvestris, P. cembra. 

 and P. uncinata. Other conifers 

 planted extensively are larch (Larix 

 europaea) in the Alps and Pyrenees, 

 and fir (Abies pectinata) in the Ce- 

 vennes and Pyrenees. Broad leaf 

 trees, chiefly various species of alder 

 and willow, are planted in the beds 

 of streams and on steep banks where 

 it is important that a soil cover be 

 rapidly established. Beech (Fagus 

 sylvatica), chestnut (castanea vul- 

 garis are commony used in the Ce- 

 vennes and in the Pyrenees. 



At the beginning of 1909, 629,488 

 acres had been reforested at a cost 

 for establishing the forest cover of 

 $8,000,000 or $12.70 per acre. Of the 

 total, 363,151 acres have been refor- 

 ested by the State, 134,005 by the 

 communes, and 132,332 by private 

 owners. The State has given valu- 

 able assistance to both the communes 

 and the private owners, having i)aid 

 55 per cent, of the cost of the work- 

 accomplished by the communes and 

 37 per cent, of the cost of the refor- 

 estation carried on by private own- 

 ers. The departments have also 

 made small money grants for refor- 

 estating in the mountains amounting 

 to 23.5 per cent, in the case of work 

 done by communes, and 5 per cent, 

 in the case of plantation by private 

 individuals. The total cost of the re- 

 forestation work to the State up to 

 1909 has been $5,568,683 on State 

 projects; $812,807 subventions to 

 communal projects; $348,744 suIj- 

 ventions to private works ; total, $6,- 

 730,234. 



The remainder of the expense of 

 establishing cover on the catchment 

 areas of mountain torrents has been 

 shared as follows : Private owners, 

 $546,488 ; departments, $400,723 ; com- 

 munes, $320,921. 



Costs of Land Purchase. 



The programme of work is by no 

 means completed. The land already 

 purchased by the State, 325.265 acres, 

 represents only about 55 per cent, of 



the area for the acquisition of which 

 plans have been completed. • There 

 still remain 266,047 acres, the pur- 

 chase of which will be necessary. The 

 average cost of the land purchased 

 in France for stream control is $18.50 

 per acre. The expenditure in the 

 purchase had reached in 1909, $6,022,- 

 644, and it was estimated that a fur- 

 ther $3,500,000 would be required. 



Over 92 per cent, of the land al- 

 ready purchased wall be reforested. 

 The remainder consists of rock out- 

 crops and areas above timber line. 



Reforestation alone is not always 

 sufficient; where the catchment area 

 of the stream is very small, where 

 the immediate control of waterflow is 

 an important consideration, where the 

 slopes are very steep and the banks 

 lack stability or where a very rapid 

 fall of water must be broken, re- 

 course must be had to the erection of 

 barriers. The French Engineers in 

 the Department of Waters and For- 

 ests are credited with leading the 

 world in the construction of works 

 for the artificial control of mountain 

 streams. Over half a century of ex- 

 perience has developed several well- 

 defined methods of correcting the 

 flood tendencies of runaway streams. 



The small tributaries, high in the 

 mountains, which are dry during a 

 portion of the year, but down which 

 in the season of melting snow or rain 

 the water sluices without obstruction, 

 are first attacked. The most common 

 method here is to cover the bed with 

 a woven network of branches, held 

 down by stakes or by poles criss- 

 crossing the bed and driven into the 

 banks. The bed of brush catches 

 material brought down by the water, 

 prevents the carriage of gravel and 

 rock to the stream below, and pre- 

 vents erosion. 



Bracing Up a Stream Bed. 



At other times when branches arc 

 not available barriers of faggots, sods 

 and stone are constructed at frequent 

 intervals across the bed of the stream, 

 the purpose of which is to hold up 

 the water, catch sediment and pre- 

 vent the cutting of the stream bed or 



