34 FOREST REGIONS AND IMPORTANT SPECIES 



Pyrenees Zone. The fifth and last mountain zone, to my mind per- 

 haps the most attractive for the traveler, has been divided into two 

 divisions: (1) The Eastern Pyrenees and (2) the Central and Western 

 Pyrenees which is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The dividing line 

 between this zone and the eastern zone is the basin of the Aude and the 

 Ariege. In the eastern zone the climate is more like the Maritime Alps 

 but moister, the rains being less torrential, however, and consequently 

 the floods are not so dangerous. The chief species are fir, beech, and 

 mountain pine. In the Department of the Aude the fir is almost as good 

 as in the Vosges and Jura. Here the mountain pine does not form pure 

 dense stands but is found in mixture with spruce and larch. There has 

 been considerable overgrazing. A typical forest area is the Montagne 

 Noire. In the second division (central and western) there are irregular 

 west winds, and there is more rain and better forage. The same species 

 are grown as in the eastern division but the stands are denser, with a 

 larger percentage of beech mixed with the conifers. Scotch pine largely 

 replaces the mountain pine. Typical forests are Luchon, Bareges, and 

 Cauterets. 



Some Mountain Forests in Detail. Of all the forest zones or regions 

 of France, those of the four great mountain areas Vosges, Jura, Alps, 

 and Pyrenees are most interesting to the American forester. For a 

 more intimate view of local conditions in the Jura reference is made to the 

 Appendix where the essentials of a working plan for the forest of Grande 

 Cote is reproduced. Let us consider in greater detail some of these 

 mountain regions. 



Vosges. Before the Vosges 4 were acquired by the State they be- 

 longed to the Due de Lorraine, to lesser nobles, and to various abbeys. 

 Since they were largely maintained for fuel and for shooting it is not sur- 

 prising that a great deal of forested area still remains 37 per cent of the 

 total land acreage being now in forest. A total of 520,041 acres of forest 



is divided as follows: 



Acres 



State 139,522 



Communal 291,563 



Private. 88,956 



Total 520,041 



Considering the region as a whole, and separating the area of plains 

 forests from the Vosges forests proper, the species, in order of importance, 

 are: Beech, 60 per cent; oak, 30 per cent; miscellaneous species, 10 per 

 cent. Of the strictly mountain area the species on the Vosges sandstone 

 in order of importance are: Fir, 75 per cent; beech and miscellaneous 



4 Sommaire sur les Forets domaniales du Departement des Vosges. Mongenot. 



