CHIEF FIRE WARDEN. 73 



institutions, 4,700,000 acres; forests of individuals, 16,- 

 100,000 acres. The forests of the state and those of the 

 municipalties and of the public institutions are managed 

 and supervised by the Administration of Forests. France 

 only extends over 9 degrees in latitude, but, as it has very 

 high chains of mountains, the result is that it possesses 

 all the climates of Europe, from the hottest to the cold- 

 est, and that a great variety exists in the species of trees 

 that compose the forests. 



The principal varieties of these species are: In the 

 warm region, comprising the borders of the Mediterranean 

 sea and of the Gulf of Gascony, the cork oak (quercus 

 suber), the evergreen oak (quercus ilex), the cluster pine 

 (pinus pinaster) and the Aleppo pine (pinus halepensis). 



In the temperate region, comprising the plains, the roll- 

 ing grounds and the lower parts of the mountains, the 

 common European oak {quercus ruber), the European 

 white oak (quercus pedunculata), the beech (fagus sil* 

 vatica), the hornbeam (carpinus betulus), the common 

 European ash (fraxinus excelsior). 



In the cold region, comprising the middle and upper 

 parts of the mountains, up to the extreme limit of 

 vegetation, the silver fir (abies pectinatd), the Norway 

 spruce fir (abies ex eels a), the beech (fagus silvatica), the 

 Scotch pine (pinus sylvestris), the mountain pine (pinus 

 montand), the larch (larix Europea). 



STATE FORESTS. 



The total area of the forests of the state, 2,700,000 

 acres, is composed of 2, 100,000 acres of productive forests 

 and of 600,000 acres of protective forests, situated in the 

 mountains or on the dunes of the ocean; of lands recently 

 purchased by the state on the banks of torrents and 

 whereon timber is now being planted. 



