454 



Canadian Forestry Journal, April, ipi6. 



way of the invaders, what obstacles 

 does it not constitute? Especially in 

 the neighborhood of fortified places, 

 wooded tracts serve as an obstruction 

 to the advance of the foe. The latter 

 finds it impossible to penetrate them 

 with its convoys ; he cannot build 

 through them the railroads necessary 

 and he is therefore unable to transport 

 any farther his huge guns. Besides, 

 the home forces can conceal them- 

 selves in those woods ; posted in am- 

 bush among the trees and under the 

 branches, they cannot be detected 

 even by aerial reconnoitring, and they 

 thus place themselves in a splendid 

 strategical position." The writer 

 draws the attention of his readers to 

 the fact that this present war has 

 amply demonstrated the usefulness of 

 the forests in wartime: 



"Everywhere, these (the forests) 

 have been of a precious assistance 

 to our soldiers ; it is while concealed 

 in them that we have lost the least 

 men. From the offensive point of 

 view, in this war of trenches which 

 has been waged for long months, it 

 is where our positions were protect- 

 ed by woods that we have gained 

 more ground. From the defensive 

 point of view, they have fully fa- 

 vored our troops. The woods of 

 Argonne, however reduced from 

 Dehouriez, have set up in the way 

 of the same invaders the barriers of 

 1792, and thus the investment of Ver- 

 dun was averted. The woods of 

 Grand-Courronne have contributed to 

 the halting of the sad retreat of Mor- 

 hange and to the resistance in the de- 

 fence of Nancy. These services are 

 recorded in the orders of the days ; the 

 country thus learns the names of the 

 woods of La Grenrie, Bolante, La Che- 

 minee-Saint-Hubert, Le Pretre, of the 

 forests of Apremont Grand-Cou- 

 ronne, etc. ; our brave boys describe 

 them in their letters." 



In Times of Peace. 



Mr. Marin now refers to the advan- 

 tages derived from the existence of 

 the forests in times of peace, from 

 the utility and aesthetical points of 



view. It is needless to mention the 

 value of the forest as a supplier of 

 the timber used for industrial pur- 

 poses; it is recognized as the fore- 

 most asset of a nation. Having re- 

 minded his readers of the great num- 

 ber of masterpieces in arts inspired 

 by the forest, he deprecates the fact 

 that the people do not seem to appre- 

 ciate all the beauty of our wooded do- 

 main and the .benefits derived there- 

 from : 



"The citizens seek in them a day's 

 or an afternoon's rest, but they do not 

 care cutting the barks, destroying 

 young shrubs, pulling out frail 

 branches, for no purpose whatsoever 

 but simply yielding, as it w'ere, to an 

 instinct of destruction which we would 

 not even forgive in a child. The 

 country-folks themselves, however la- 

 boriously and assiduously bent on their 

 toil, do not as sufficiently as they 

 ought respect all the trees, and in sev- 

 eral of our provinces, chiefly in Nor- 

 mandy, entire regions have simply 

 been ruined as by mere vandalism." 

 The writer states that in many vil- 

 lages and towns, there are scarcely 

 any trees on public places ; vast parks 

 are to be found where there are no 

 shady trees. The value of the forest 

 cannot be overestimated, and in com- 

 pliance with principles well-nigh 

 eternal, we are bound to protect it. 



"The salubrious influence of the for- 

 est is as vivifying as that of the sea; 

 it has over the latter the advantage of 

 wdiat I might call 'the uniform effect 

 upon the mind' from which the ner- 

 vous and irritable people derive most 

 healthy benefits. For whoever wishes 

 to ancl can avail himself or herself of 

 its influence, the forest is a free phy- 

 sician and a dispenser of balmy es- 

 sences powerfully invigorating. It 

 is there that can be sought and near- 

 ly always found the vital and mental 

 equilibrium lacking in many people 

 otherwise healthy, not afflicted w^ith 

 neither serious ailments nor apparent 

 injuries, but w'ho are overworked and 

 exhausted by the conditions of modern 

 living." The w^riter here names a 



