136 



at 1,145,708 trees, and the damage caused was estimated at 10,300, or about 

 3 4s. per 100 acres in the State forests, and 12s. per 100 acres in those belonging 

 to village communities. 



The latter being, for the most part, coppice under standards, suffered less- 

 than the former, while the proportion of windfalls in the coniferous forests was 

 greater than that in those composed of broad-leaved species. The windfalls were 

 sold for nearly 021,000. 



The forest officers, when arranging the annual felling, are careful to provide, 

 as far as possible, against the effect of storms, by leaving a protecting belt of 

 trees standing on the side of the forest from which the dangerous winds blow, 

 and in other ways ; but much depends on natural conditions which are beyond 

 their control, such as the configuration of the ground, the shelter afforded by 

 neighboring hills, the nature of the soil and its physical condition, the kinds of 

 trees and their root development, as well as their size, age, and the system of 

 treatment to which they have been subjected. 



It may be added that hailstorms often do great damage by stripping the 

 tiees of their foliage, and by breaking or otherwise injuring the young plants. 



Fires. The penal code provides for the punishment of persons who cause 

 forest fires, either intentionally or through carelessness ; and the forest law- 

 prohibits the lighting or carrying of fire either inside the forest or within 200 

 yards of their boundaries, but the ordinary laws do not prevent proprietors from 

 lighting fires in their own forests to the danger of their neighbor's property. 

 This an important question in the Maures and Esterel,* where the bad practice 

 is followed of systematically lighting fires in the forests, in order to burn up the 

 heather and other shrubs which interfere with the regeneration of the crop of 

 trees; and in 1870 a special law was passed prohibiting the proprietors of those 

 districts from lighting tires in their forests except at seasons fixed by the prefect ; 

 and also compelling them to clear fire-lines around all woods and forests which 

 have not been completely freed from all inflammable shrubs. 



In 1876 there were 290 fires in the area managed by the forest department* 

 nearly all of them being the result of accident. The surface burnt over 

 measured 2,350 acres, or about j~ part of the entire area, and the damage was 

 estimated at 3,280 or 28s. per acre of forest burnt. The proportion of fires was 

 greater in the broad-leaved than in the coniferous forests, but on the other hand, 

 the amount of damage done per acre in the latter was three times as great as in 

 the former, the resin in the trees themselves and in the dead needles on the 

 ground rendering the fir and pine forests excessively inflammable. It is also 

 worthy of remark that, although as a general rule, fires were of more frequent 

 occurrence in the spring than at any other season of the year, the autumn fires 

 were, on account of the recently fallen leaves, by far the most destructive. But this 

 is by no means true of all regions and the general result may be mainly ascribed 

 to the great damage done by fires occurring during the autumn in the south of 

 France. In the north, forest fires are of small importance, and occasion little 

 damage. 



HUNTING AND SHOOTING. 



The right to hunt and shoot in the State forests is, generally speaking, let 

 out on nine years' leases, which are sold by public auction under the rules for 

 the sale of timber and other forest produce ; but when this is not possible, it is 

 sold by means of annual permits issued under the direct authority of the Minister 



* Low mountain ranges in the south of France. 



