WAR MATERIALS FROM FRENCH FORESTS 



71 



the men. The arrival of the shipments is looked forward 

 to with great eagerness and if the contributors could see 

 the men as they leave the place of distribution with their 

 packages under their arms they would feel fully rewarded. 



"The most useful articles, of course, are in the form of 

 wearing apparel, such as sweaters, socks, helmets, mit- 

 tens and the knitted wristlets. A man who is driving in 

 the cold finds the wristlets as use- 

 ful as anything he could have, as 

 they furnish protection that pre- 

 vents much suffering with cold 

 hands. Tobacco, too, is deeply ap- 

 preciated. At times it is extremely 

 difficult for the men to buy tobacco 

 in the neighboring stores and in ad- 

 dition to this they naturally prefer 

 the American tobacco to which 

 they have been accustomed. The 

 work is highly important and every- 

 body who has been helpful in it has 

 earned real gratitude from the men 

 who receive the benefits." 



Colonel Graves has returned to 



and resulted in his return as soon as the authorities on 

 the other side felt that he could be spared. Major Wil- 

 liam B. Greeley, on leave from his duties as Assistant 

 United States Forester, has taken Colonel Graves' place 

 in charge of the technical forestry work in France. 

 Colonel J. A. Woodruff is in military command of the 

 Forestry troops. 



At the camp of the Twentieth 

 Engineers (Forest) at American 

 University, in the District of Co-, 

 lumbia, rapid progress is being 

 made in the organization and equip- 

 ment of additional battalions for 

 the regiment. The first, second, third 

 and fourth battalions have been in 

 France for some time. The fifth 

 and sixth battalions were complet- 

 ed in January and Colonel W. A. 

 Mitchell and his staff are busily en- 

 gaged in organizing the seventh 

 and eighth. Work was also under 

 way on the forty-first battalion of 



the Forest Service at the request of 

 the Secretary of Agriculture. In 

 going to France the Forester's orig- 

 inal plan was to be there no longer 

 than was necessary to establish the 

 work of the American forest and 

 lumber forces, to work out the pro- 

 cedure for acquiring forests and 

 to build up the organization neces- 

 sary to carrying on the work This 

 has all been accomplished and Sec- 

 retary Houston was anxious to 



have Forester Graves resume his work at the head of 

 the Forest Service. Interchange of cablegrams took place 



road and bridge builders. The 

 various units will continue to go 

 across to the French forests as 

 rapidly as possible. 



Letters from the war zone tell 

 of some of the experiences and im- 

 pressions of American foresters in 

 the war zone. One of the most re- 

 cent letters was from Captain R. C. 

 Hall, of the United States Forest 

 Service, now assigned to timber 

 reconnoissance in France with the 

 American Expeditionary Forces. Captain Hall writes: 

 "I had the good fortune to see the Tenth Engineers 



