FOREST CONDITIONS 121 



The tree was tapped in 1862 to 1872, and operations were 

 recommenced on a large scale in the forest of Zonza in 1908. 

 A local distillery has since been erected at Zonza. 



The most important forests of maritime pine are Zonza, Ca- 

 lenza, Pastricciola, Vero, Pineta, Solenzara, Marghese Vallemala. 



Beech. Beech is found in the high valleys above 1300 

 metres (4290 feet), pure or in mixture with Corsican pine and 

 fir. The largest areas are in the forests of Coscione, Biancone, 

 Cerotte, St. Antoine, San Pietro-di- Verde, all in the valley of 

 Taravo; in the valley of Ese, in the forests of Querceta and 

 Punteniello; in the valley of Fiurmorbo, in the forest of Mar- 

 mano; and in the valley of Vecchio, forest of Vizzavona. The 

 beech is encroaching on the Corsican pine, which is unfortunate, 

 because it is a slow grower and is often rotten at the heart. It 

 is cut to some extent for variety stock, but chiefly for cord wood. 



Holm Oak. The holm oak, while it covers a large area, 

 has not the financial importance of the Corsican pine, because 

 it is used only for charcoal, fire wood, and for tannin. It is 

 found chiefly in the plains and lower hills, often in mixture 

 with maritime pine. 



Cork Oak. The cork oak is pure, or with holm oak, but 

 the most important forests are in private ownership. The 

 forest of Cagna is the chief of these. The growth of this tree 

 is rapid and it is much sought after. In 1908 the total pro- 

 duction of cork amounted to 6085 quintaux (1,341,511 pounds). 



The cork 15 is sold on the tree, for periods of 18 years, instead 

 of being collected by federal day labor, as in Algeria. The cork 

 may be removed from the time the sap rises until August; but 

 only cork having a thickness of 23 millimetres (0.91 inch) on 

 nine-tenths of its area may be peeled. Trees above 0.50 metre 

 (20 inches) in circumference may be peeled, the measurement 

 being outside the bark at i metre (39 inches) above the ground. 

 The tree must be peeled, cleanly, from the ground up to a height 

 equal to twice the tree's circumference, outside bark, and only 

 branches measuring at least 60 centimetres (24 inches) in cir- 



15 Cahier des charges, Adjudication de la Recolte du Liege, pp. 13-5, approved 

 March 4, 1909. 



