THE FORESTRY OF FRANCE 



BY WARREN H. MILLER, M. A. 



IN a recent paper I gave a brief re- ests, both standard and coppice, and be- 



view of the forest practice of came thoroughly conversant with what 



Germany as exemplified by a com- may be termed the French forest spe- 



prehensive inspection undertaken last cialties. 



year, in which the principal sylvic France has made her most striking 

 areas of Germany were revisited after successes on a large scale with the 

 an absence of twenty years. Owing to following silvicultural operations : 

 the combined influence of species, soil Standard forest with natural regen- 

 and climate, clear cutting and replanting eration by seeding cuts ; standard cop- 

 with seedlings may be said to be by far pice with balivage regeneration ; refor- 

 the predominating method of forest man- esting mountain slopes; reforesting 

 agement of modern Germany, though waste heather lands ; arresting sand 

 at the present moment there is con- dune invasions. All these have been 

 siderable agitation in favor of a return successfully done on a tremendous scale 

 to the methods of natural regeneration by the foresters of France and the 

 originally devised by the Germans and technique thus developed must be con- 

 extensively developed in France. How- sidered as her contribution to the 

 ever, as far as actual practice goes, the world's practice of forestry. In this 

 clear cutting and planting system is article my aim will be to merely sketch 

 virtually the only method used for these operations in order to give the 

 conifers. Out of over two hundred reader a general idea of them in the 

 coniferous forests I saw but three that brief space available, 

 were by natural regeneration, and in 



these the trees were crooked and the STANDARD FOREST 

 thinnings commercially valueless except 



for cord wood. In the deciduous for- A glance at the forest map of France 

 ests of the upper Rhine and West- herewith will show the immense pre- 

 phalia, natural regeneration was of ponderance of deciduous species, the 

 course used, owing to the fact that the oaks (five species), beech, hornbeam, 

 root diffusion of these species makes ash, elm ; and then, in the mountains 

 their planting expense higher than with of the Vosges, Jura, Provencal Alps 

 any form of seeding. and Pyrennees, fir and beech, spruce, 

 In spite of the tendency of some of and Austrian pine. Sylvester pine oc- 

 cur best-known authorities to belittle cupies the newly reforested Landes, the 

 the achievements of the French for- garrigues and all sandy basins too poor 

 esters, I feel sure that a later and to grow hard woods, while maritime 

 more comprehensive judgment will pine and Alep pine take up the south 

 bring a universal acknowledgment that and west coasts. All the basin of the 

 the world owes much to France's con- Seine is robur and peduncle oak, both 

 tributions to the practice of silviculture coppice and high forest (Belleme, 

 and that America in particular will find Berce, Sarce, CompiegTie, Villepreu-las- 

 a great deal that is adaptable to our Clayes, Champenoux, etc.) ; the North 

 forest management. Two years ago I country is hornbeam and Brittany is 

 undertook an extensive course in beech. It is but logical, then, that the 

 French forest practice under the guid- futaie rcgitlaire or standard forest, with 

 ance of Prof. R. Hickel, of Versailles regular regeneration, should have been 

 (whose latest book Semis et Plantules developed on a great scale and even ex- 

 well deserves a translation into Eng- tended to the conifers, which are in- 

 lish), visited a number of French For- variably planted in Germany. 



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