FOREST CONDITIONS 115 



forests are Corsican pine (P. laricio) , mixed with maritime pine 

 (P. maritima) .at its lower limits, and forced back by beech and 

 fir at extreme elevations. 



The following forest zones are locally recognized: 9 



(1) o to 500 metres (o to 1640 feet) chiefly agricultural land 

 and maquis, but also cork oak (Q. suber) (near Porto- Vecchio) , 

 holm oak (Q. ilex), and vert oak (Q. ilex). 



(2) 500 to 1000 metres (1640 to 3281 feet) maritime pine 

 and chestnut. 



(3) 1000 to 1800 metres (3281 to 5915 feet) Corsican pine, 

 with beech in the high central valleys and fir at a few elevated 

 points. 



FOREST CONDITIONS 



Forest Area. In 1878 the official records 10 put the total 

 forested area at 209,177 hectares (516,876 acres), but in 

 December, 1912, this area had fallen to 11 132,215 hectares 12 

 (326,703 acres) under management, and 42,400 hectares (104,770 

 acres) of private forest, or a total of 174,406.05 hectares 

 (430,957 acres). This decrease during the past 3 decades is 

 chiefly in private forests, and has been occasioned by exces- 

 sive cutting coupled with grazing and fire. Of the area now 

 classed as forested, there are 34,079 hectares (84,209 acres) of 

 blanks, mostly rocky summits above timber line; this leaves 

 actually stocked with trees some 140,536 hectares (347,264 

 acres), or 16 per cent of the total area, as against 24 per cent 

 for 1878. The location of the federal forests is indicated upon 

 the accompanying diagrammatic map (Fig. 17). 



The Species. The chief local species, 13 in the order of the 

 area which they cover, are as follows: Holm oak, Corsican pine, 

 maritime pine, beech, and cork oak. The distribution in federal 



9 Unpublished notes by de Lapasse compare with Paul Joanne's climatic zones. 



10 Unpublished official report, unsigned. 



11 Report of Prefect, dated December 31, 1911, p. 94, gives 132,006.05 hectares. 



12 Unpublished notes by de Lapasse. 



13 The data on species are partly from unpublished notes by de Lapasse sup- 

 plemented by field notes by the writer. 



