708 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE REFORESTATION OF FRANCE 



To the Members of the American Forestry Association: 



'T'O OFFER to the French Government the services of the American Forestry 

 Association in aiding to replant French forest land destroyed by the con- 

 tending armies, Mr. Percival S. Ridsdale, editor of American Forestry mag- 

 azine and Executive Secretary of the American Forestry Association, sailed 

 for France on December 16 for a conference with French Government offi- 

 cials in Paris. France lost more than 1,250,000 acres of forest through 

 war's destruction and over 60 per cent of the merchantable timber in the 

 remaining forests was cut for military uses. Because of this condition 

 France needs large quantities of forest tree seeds to restore this large 

 area in its Northern and Eastern sections. American Forestry Association 

 officials have devised a plan by which there may be gathered in this country 

 the great quantities of such tree seeds as may be desired by the French 

 Forestry Department. 



T87HAT the destruction of these forests means to France is eloquently told in an 

 article by Henry S. Graves, United States Forester and Vice-President of 

 the American Forestry Association, on the adjoining pages. These facts 

 will emphasize in the mind of every American who appreciates the great 

 sacrifices that France has made in the war, the manner in which the Ameri- 

 can Forestry Association and its members may be of assistance in restora- 

 tion work in that country. 



lVf R. RIDSDALE will, while abroad, not only make a tour of the forest regions 

 in the war area of France, but also of the area in other sections which has 

 been largely cut over by United States and Canadian forestry regiments. 

 He will investigate the forestry situation in Great Britain, Belgium, and 

 Italy for the purpose of preparing a series of articles and of securing a 

 quantity of photographs to illustrate them. These articles will be pre- 

 sented upon his return in AMERICAN FORESTRY and are expected to be 

 of great general and economic interest to all the members of the Association 

 and to all the readers of the magazine. Further announcement regarding 

 these articles will later be made in the magazine. 



[T gives me pleasure to wish the members of the Association a very happy Christ- 

 mas and a prosperous New Year, and I hope that their co-operation in the 

 work of the Association will be inspired by the very important work which 

 the Association as I have outlined has undertaken. 



CHARLES LATHROP PACK, President. 



