1194 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



QUILLAN. AUDE, IN THE EASTERN PYRENEES. THIS IS A GENERAL VIEW OF THE TOWN AND THE TIMBER DENUDED HILLS 

 NEAR IT. THERE IS, HOWEVER, A LARGE SUPPLY OF GOOD TIMBER A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE T0\V.\ 



landed and added to the already large demand for timber 

 in the summer of 191 7 necessitated further and more 

 careful consideration of these and other outlying regions 

 as operating points. Accordingly, arrangements were 

 made to scout for prospects throughout all of the South- 

 ern Departments. To Captain P. A. Wilson, an exper- 

 ienced British Columbia logger and mill man, and the 

 writer was assigned the mission of covering the Depart- 

 ments adjoining the Mediterranean from Toulouse, east 

 to the Italian line. 



The most interesting prospect reported was on the 

 Espezel Plateau, near Quillan, Aude. Captain R. C. Hall 

 had been in that section in the early spring on a prelimi- 

 nary reconnaissance from which it had been determined 

 that the question was not whether the timber was there 

 but rather whether it could be gotten out. Quillan 

 is snugly situated on either bank of the Aude River, 

 a short distance from its entrance into the gorge 

 which it had carved for itself en route to the sea. 

 From the town, surrounded by massive ranges, the 

 timber situation did not look promising, but we were 

 assured by the townsfolk that the prospect lay on the 

 plateau above Quillan. 



A climb of 1,500 feet in 7 miles with an average grade 

 of 4 per cent and numerous hairpin turns did not brighten 

 our hopes of making a find. From the edge of the 

 plateau one secured a general view of the timber pos- 

 sibilities. Bounding the Espezel Valley were extensive 

 ranges well timbered and apparently directly accessible 

 from the valley floor. Our automobile indicator regis- 

 tered 22 kilometers (14 miles) from Quillan, the nearest 

 railroad point, whej» we reached the most accessible 



range. While the climb to the plateau and the distance 

 to the shipping point continued to loom large in our 

 calculations they were discounted somewhat when we 

 gave attention to the timber itself. Others had also been 

 impressed with the seriousness of the transportation 

 factor for in no other way could one account for the 

 retention of such fine stands in France. On the ranges 

 encircling the plateau were exceptionally fine bodies 

 of fir suitable in size and quality for the various war 

 demands, including large products such as piling and 

 structural timbers, so difficult to secure. We learned from 

 the French foresters that a cut of approximately 194,000 

 cubic meters (48,500,000 feet B. M.) could be secured 

 from the State Forests in the group in strict conformance 

 with the customary French cutting methods. This cut 

 represents roughly the yield from these forests for four 

 years. To an American forester in Army khaki visiting 

 them after the spring drive of the Boche it appeared that 

 a cut of twice the amount estimated would leave the 

 forests well prepared to supply timber against the needs 

 from future Boche onslaughts. 



The trees were well cleared and symmetrical, ranging 

 from 12 to 36 inches in diameter, from 100 to 300 years 

 in age, and from 80 to 125 feet in height. We observed 

 some areas which would cut 60,000 feet B. M. to the 

 acre. One veteran of at least 48 inches in diameter and 

 135 feet in height was gaudily marked with a wide band 

 of red paint, a mark of respect to his age and size. The 

 Forest Brigadier expected all visitors in the region to go 

 and see it. Some fungus and unutilized windfall, which 

 are uncommon in French forests, were observed. Log- 

 ging conditions were variable, the surface varying from 



