1258 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE BOIS CHARPENTIER NEAR BISCHOOTE, IN BELGIUM, 

 THE LAND HAS GONE AND IT IS A WATER-SOAKED, 



IS A SCENE OF UTTER DESOLATION. THE FOREST VALUE OF 

 MUD-COVERED AREA MARKED BY NUMEROUS SHELL HOLES. 



caused elsewhere by the assessment of the "usage duties" 

 of the old principality of Chimay; as a matter of fact, 

 it bought all the trees which were to be sold for the 

 benefit of the Prince of Chimay. The commune of Mon- 

 ceau-Imbrechies was also reputed to have considerable 

 savings. The Germans knew the smallest details of our 

 affairs and we should not be at all surprised if they were 

 aware of the financial situation of these two communes; 

 they, who were fighting for justice ( ?), could it have been 

 that they wanted their operations to bring about equi- 



librium in the forest wealth of our communes of Thier- 

 arche ?" These reports do not cover the whole area of de- 

 stroyed forests, facts about which are now being gathered 

 and which will later be printed. A brief examination, 

 however, of any of the destroyed forests indicates very 

 clearly the truthfulness of the Belgian comment in sum- 

 ming up their losses : "Such is the work of the Germans, 

 of professionals, for it appears that it was professional 

 foresters who were charged with designing and directing 

 these henceforth famous exploitations." 



A SCENE IN THE BOIS DES LUPINS NEAR BOESINGHE, SHOWING THE GERMAN FORTIFICATIONS AND THE DESTRUCTION 



DONE TO TREES AND FORTIFICATIONS BY SHELL FIRE. 



