" Development plantations, creating reserve stocks in 

 foliacious forests," the Forest Board reports, "means sparing 

 continually trees when working the forest. Private owners, 

 under the necessity of obtaining income, cannot as a rule 

 afford to do this properly. Such work can only be successfully 

 carried on by the State or other perennial owner, such as 

 Departments, Municipalities, and public establishments. It 

 is therefore advisable to encourage the transfer to such public 

 ownership of woods and forests, the State acquiring prefera- 

 bly the poorest or most damaged whose reconstitution involves 

 long periods of time, and leaving to the corporations and pri- 

 vate owners those forests in a normal working condition. 



There is a law in France, known as the "Audiffred Law," 

 passed in 1913, which permits and provides for private forest 

 owners, who so desire, to entrust the State Forest Department, 

 with the entire management and administration of their 

 forest property. Few owners, it is said, have taken advantage 

 of the law, preferring to retain their own control, but in in- 

 stances where it has been applied it is said to be working 

 satisfactorily and the State is now engaged in propaganda 

 intended to impress upon private owners the benefits involved 

 in the system. 



Speaking generally, the forest service of France has been 

 in existence since 1827. The Forest Board is clothed with 

 many powers, including the enforcement of all necessary 

 laws and regulations. Its organization is very complete and 

 comprises forest brigadiers, rangers, inspectors, keepers, etc., 

 all of whom are specially qualified by practical training for 

 their work. The Board maintains a National Forestry College 

 at Nancy, where the higher officers receive their training, and 

 a professional forest training school at Barres (Loiret), where 

 the under-staff is educated. A research and experimental 

 Station, equipped with a wood-testing laboratory, forms part 

 of the college equipment at Nancy, and has branches in a num- 

 ber of districts. 



French forestry lost heavily in personnel during the war, 

 but is being rapidly rebuilt, the authorities recognizing that 

 no department is more necessary to the present and future 

 national welfare than that of tree culture. 



