776 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 





Courtesy of the New York World. 



TREES FELLED TO DEPRIVE THE ENEMY OF COVER. 



HOW MANY A TRACT OF WOODLAND AND OF FOREST WAS CUT DOWN TO PREVENT THE GERMANS TAKING ADVANTAGE 

 OF THE GOOD COVER AFFORDED BY WOODED LANDS. TREE TRUNKS THUS SECURED ARE FREQUENTLY 



USED IN BARRICADES OR IN TRENCHES. 



man victory in the present war, lies 

 the state forest of Compiegne where 

 there has been severe fighting. This 

 forest, which is situated at the junction 

 of the Aisne and Oise Rivers, only 52 

 miles northwest of Paris, comprises 36,- 

 072 acres and is the fourth largest 

 state forest in France. As in most of 

 the other forests in this part of the 

 country, the principal trees are oak, 

 beech, and hornbeam, with a few other 

 broadleaf trees and a small representa- 

 tion of conifers. Although the growth 

 in general is rather slow because of the 

 poor soil, one oak, popularly known as 

 the "king of the forest," is said to be 

 the largest oak tree in France. It has a 

 total height of 118 feet, a circumference 

 of 17 feet at breast-height, and an 

 estimated volume of 1,120 cubic feet. 

 While these figures do not seem very 

 large in comparison with the sizes com- 

 monly reached in this country by such 

 trees as yellow poplar and cotton wood, 

 its estimated value of nearly $500 un- 

 doubtedly exceeds that of any indi- 

 vidual tree of these species here. 



Previous to the war the forest of 

 Compiegne, with its wealth of old oaks 

 and its network of roads, was regarded 

 as one of the finest in France, rivalling 

 even the famous forest of Fontainebleau. 

 One section of the forest, known as the 

 Beaux Monts and comprising some 

 1,753 acres, has in fact been set aside for 

 special treatment to preserve its natural 

 beauty. Near by is the fine old palace 

 of Compiegne, which, with its valuable 



decorations and furnishings, was a 

 favorite residence of the two Napoleons. 

 A striking feature of the scenery here 

 is an avenue 150 yards wide and 5 miles 

 long, cut through the forest by the 

 first Napoleon in order to afford a pleas- 

 ing view from the palace. 



All of these facts, together with its 

 proximity to Paris, have combined to 

 make the forest of Compiegne a favorite 

 hunting resort. Up to 1870 it had been 

 for centuries the hunting and shooting 

 ground of the rulers of France, and 

 since the establishment of the present 

 republic it has been equally popular 

 with the nobility and wealthy members 

 of Parisian society. Some 2,000 acres 

 are now reserved as a game preserve for 

 the President of the Republic and the 

 State guests. In recent years the 

 revenue from hunting licenses alone 

 has amounted to nearly $20,000 a year, 

 out of a total gross revenue of $167,000. 

 It is interesting to note, however, that 

 this use of the forest has its drawbacks 

 from a strictly forestry point of view. 

 The preservation of the game, and 

 especially of rabbits, endangers the 

 young growth to such an extent that it 

 is necessary to fence most of the areas 

 under reproduction, of course with 

 greatly increased expense of manage- 

 ment. 



A short distance to the southeast of 

 Compiegne lies the little village of 

 Villers-Cotterets, the birthplace of the 

 elder Dumas and formerly the seat of 

 an important secondary forest school 



