SPAIN AND HER SCANTY FORESTS 



139 



Instead of coal selling for from $10 to $15 per ton, 

 which was the normal price before the war, it finally 

 reached the extremely high price of from $80 to $180 

 per ton, according to quality. This has meant that only 

 certain specialized industries and some of the railways 

 could afford to use coal. Most of the industries, as well 

 as homes were dependent upon firewood or charcoal for 

 their fuel, with the resultant heavy cutting of all the 

 most accessible and available forests. It was a common 

 sight to see fuel wood selling for from $20 to $30 per 

 cord or more in many Spanish cities. Even branches 

 and the smallest brush and twigs were collected and 

 utilized for fuel. 



Spain has always been a very important importer of 

 lumber and forest products, but with the outbreak of 

 the war there was insufficient tonnage to bring material 

 to Spain, and its local forests were compelled to supply 

 at least a portion of the serious shortage. As a result, 

 the already neglected forests have been most seriously 

 sacrificed for fuelwood as well as lumber and have 



REDWOODS IN SPAIN 



California redwoods about 36 inches in diameter at the base, growing 

 in the gardens of the old royal palace of the Spanish kings at El Es- 

 cori.il in the Guadarrama Mountains north of Madrid California 

 redwoods are commonly found planted throughout Spain and there 

 are many trees from two to three feet in diameter, indicating that these 

 trees were planted from 50 to 80 years ago or more. They_ grow 

 splendidly under the climatic and soil conditions afforded in Spain. 



received a set-back from which they will require from 

 fifteen to thirty years or more to recover. Although an 

 important importer of wood, Spain was, however, called 

 upon to supply cross-ties and other forest products for 

 the American and French armies in France. In spite of 

 a virulent and wide spread propaganda carried on by 

 100,000 Germans who had drifted to Spain from various 

 countries at the outbreak of the war, Spain contributed 

 many materials that were of real assistance to the allied 

 armies in France. Although officially neutral, the senti- 



ment in Spain was pronouncedly pro-German. This 

 feeling was no doubt due to the active work of the 

 German propagandists. The movement of civilians across 

 the frontier to and from France was constantly watched 

 with the most painstaking scrutiny. In January, 1918, 

 about $50,000 worth of materials were purchased for the 

 American army in Spain. It was considered a good sized 

 shipment from Spain, but by September, 1918, over 

 $10,000,000 worth was being purchased for the support 

 and maintenance of our army alone in France. Over 



CORDWOOD AT $30 A CORD 



A familiar sight on the streets of Barcelona when fuelwood was in 

 great demand, owing to the lack of normal supplies from England. 

 Cordwood brought as high as $20 to $30 per cord or more, delivered in 

 Barcelona, and coal was selling at the prohibitively high price of 

 between $80 and $160 per ton. 



400,000 cross-ties were contracted for, and had the war 

 continued, preparations were being made for the purchase 

 of many more cross-ties, lumber and other materials. 

 Pine and oak cross-ties were from $2.00 to $2.50 apiece, 

 depending upon quality and size. 



With the heavy purchase of food, forest products, and 

 other materials for the allied armies, Spain prospered as 

 seldom before, and now it is believed that Spain will 

 engage in many larger policies of national welfare and 

 developments of her important and largely latent agri- 

 cultural and mining resources. In this wave of better 

 things a rebirth of the old Spanish position in world's 

 affairs, the friends and supporters of forestry in Spain 

 are hopeful of a better and more comprehensive plan of 

 forest conservation which will insure the future of the 

 Spanish forests. A notable forward step was taken in 

 June, 1913, when the Royal Spanish Society of the 

 Friends of the Forest was established under the royal 

 patronage of His Majesty King Alfonso XIII and the 

 Queen Mother Victoria Eugenia. This organization has 

 been recognized by royal decree as being of great general 

 public welfare. 



