326 PRIVATE FORESTRY IN FRANCE 



was leased to a club at 23 cents per acre per year. This club charged its 

 members the following premiums: Club members who shoot on this 

 forest pay in addition (35 per cent of which goes to the rangers and beaters 

 and 65 per cent to the guards) : Roe-buck 48 cents per head for the first 50 

 killed; $1.93 for the following 150; $2.89 for the rest. Stags, $3.86 per 

 head for the first 10; $5.79 for the 10 following; $7.72 for the third 10; 

 $9.65 for the fourth 10; $11.58 for the fifth 10; $13.51 for the rest. Deer, 

 $3.86 per head. In addition the club paid the following rewards for 

 killing beasts of prey: Fox, $1.16; badgers, $1.35; wild cats, $2.90; martins 

 and pole cats, $1.16; domestic cats caught in the forest, 58 cents; martins, 

 fur species, $3.86; weasels, 58 cents; ermine, 97 cents; buzzards, 19 cents. 

 The pelts were reserved for the use of the club. For the discovery of 

 poachers the club paid $7.72 for those caught during the day; $15.44 for 

 poachers caught during the night, and $1.93 for dogs caught in the 

 forest. 



The forest yields truffles in considerable quantity. Practically all 

 sawlog material is exported and firewood in small amounts is used 

 locally. Mine props are exported to the northern part of France and 

 Belgium, the wood and charcoal to Paris. The average prices secured 

 are as follows: Oak, first quality (20 inches in diameter and better), 

 $6.76 per cubic meter in the log; second quality (12 inches to 19 inches 

 in diameter), $4.83; third quality (8 to 11 inches in diameter), $2.32. 

 Beech logs bring about $2.90 per cubic meter on the average; mine props, 

 53 cents per stere (0.277 cord); firewood, 48 cents per stere; and charcoal 

 made of branch wood, 5 cents. 16 



Management. The system of coppice-under-standards is applied 

 to the nineteen working groups of the forest and the rotation averages from 

 25 to 30 years. The rotation has been lengthened, however, and owing to 

 the small value of fuel and the increasing value of sawlogs, is now 27 to 

 32 years. In the past, with the rotation 25 to 30 years and because the 

 reserves were insufficient, the yield averaged 0.32 cubic meters of sawlogs 

 per acre and 1 cubic meter of firewood. The price of charcoal has dropped 

 from 58 cents to 5 cents per stere on the stump (3.6 steres to a cord). 

 The objection to converting this coppice-under-standards to high forest 

 is that it would take too long and cost the owner too much. There is so 

 much game in this forest that the conversion would be difficult, especially 

 if fir were planted. The number of reserves is to be increased to such an 

 extent, however, that the coppice-under-standards will resemble an 

 open high forest. There are also objections to lengthening the rotation: 

 (1) The necessary decrease in the proportion of oak; (2) the impossibility 

 of securing the full value of the reserves which become ripe, decayed, or 

 overmature; (3) the decrease in the growth of the reserves, since the 

 16 These prices were prior to 1912. 





