One of the most noticeable things about British cutting 

 methods is that cutting is done closer to the ground than is 

 practiced even in the Scandinavian forests where stumps 

 over five inches high are seldom found. In Britain the cutting 

 is made almost level with the ground. The explanation is 

 offered that wood-choppers are employed by the piece, their 

 compensation being based on the cubic contents of the 

 logs. There is, of course, practically no snow in these woods 

 to obstruct close cutting. 



Practically no pulpwood is at present derived from the 

 British forests, nor is it probable that such wood can be grown 

 to commercial advantage in competition with Canada, New- 

 foundland, Scandinavia and Finland. At present the State 

 forests yield wood for building purposes, pit props, telegraph 

 poles and various industrial uses, and in some instances 

 return a profit on their operations despite the numerous diffi- 

 culties under which they temporarily labour. 



ARTICLE No. VIII. 



WHAT FRANCE IS DOING TO RESTORE THE 



RAVAGES SUFFERED BY HER FORESTS 



DURING THE WAR 



PARIS, JULY 28. Not the least of the post-war reconstruc- 

 tion problems confronting France is that of the restoration 

 of her productive forests. Before the war these forests com- 

 prised approximately 185,000,000 acres and although they 

 did not constitute the country self-supporting in forest pro- 

 ducts they went very far in that direction. The bulk of these 

 forests, about 177,000,000 acres, were in private hands, 

 3,000,000 acres were owned by the State and the balance by 

 the communes. 



The war wrought great havoc with the French forests. 

 Those that did not succumb to the depredations of the enemy or 

 were not destroyed through being in proximity to the fire zone, 

 were heavily drawn upon for fire-wood, trench timber and 

 other war necessities, so that at the Armistice the Water and 

 Forest Board of France, which is the national body clothed 

 with authority over the forests and internal waterways, 

 found itself with a program literally "shot to pieces", a greatly 

 reduced staff and a depleted budget with which to begin 



