Canadian Forestry Journal, July, ipi6. 621 



The Forests of Belgium. for the production of this much- 



T7 , ^ ^^«,.,*,,^„ ;„ +v,^ needed product. About 84,000 cords 



Forests were common m the w • j n r 



were obtained annually from trees 

 western war zone, embracing a part bordering roads and canals. These 

 of northern France and almost all trees, however, did much more than 

 of Belgium, when the conflict began, yield wood, for they made the thor- 

 and showed evidence of careful oughfares attractive and comfort- 

 management that must have ex- able, and in sonie instances produced 

 , , , , , -^ , choice fruit, hew countries could 

 tended back at least fifty years and ^oast of such inviting and distinc- 

 in some cases a full century. Bel- tive highways, byways and water- 

 gium alone had 1,290,000 acres of ways as Belgium before the war. 

 productive forest land valued at These attractive and useful avenues 

 $100,000,000. The province of Na- °^ commumcation helped, ma 

 .... , , r 1 • measure, to satisfy and solidity its 

 mur, m which such heavy fighting citizenry, and develop a pardonable 

 took place shortly after the begin- patriotic pride in its soldiers. 

 ning of the war had 31 per cent of Private Ozimership. 



its total area wooded. The forests t-i i • i r r , . , 



^ Ti 1 • .1 i he kind of forest ownership that 



of Belgium were among the most prevailed in Belgium at the outbreak 



productive of Europe before the of the war present.^ a sad aspect., 



war, yielding 1.7 cords per acre and Private individuals and small com- 



year. Since the war began this area munities owned 93.8 per cent of the 



has not only been considerably re^ ^^^'^l ^'^^' ^^^ ^^^}-^. and institutions 

 , J . u . u . • owning the remaining 6.2 per cent, 

 duced in acreage, but what is more The loss under such a decentralized 

 lamentable the remaining forests form of ownership is certainly felt 

 have lost all the "earmarks" of that much more keenly than in countries 

 careful management which charac- such as Germany where the several 

 terized them in the past. states own 31.9 per cent and private 

 That the people of Belgium will individuals only 46.5 per cent, the 

 feel the loss of their clean, attractive, remainder belonging to the crown, 

 productive, and well-organized for- communities, municipalities, and in- 

 ests is most certainly true. The stitutions. When one thinks how 

 small forest acreage in proportion to slowly forests grow and how dififi- 

 the population — only two-tenths of cult it is to reconstruct them, one's 

 an acre per inhabitant — and the in- pity naturally goes forth not only to 

 dustrial conditions, recommended the altruistic and beneficient people 

 anintensive management of all areas vvho were building them up, but also 

 suitable for the growth of trees. The to the oncoming generations for 

 native forests in spite of their high whom they were being developed, 

 productivity — 1.7 cords per acre and A rich heritage for subsequent gen- 

 year — yielded only a small portion erations was in the process of de- 

 of the total amount of wood con- velopment, but the sudden onrush 

 sumed by this most densely popu- of an enraged neighbor with no re- 

 lated civilized country — 660 inhabi- spect for property or posterity, and 

 tants per square mile. About $28,- the necessary destructive activities 

 500,000 worth of wood was imported of the defenders of the homeland, 

 annually, some of it coming from soon converted this prospective 

 the United States. For many years heritage into acres of desolation, 

 the demand for wood has been so The forests of northern France 

 great that every square foot of diiTer little from those of Belgium 

 ground not required for other more in condition, composition and own- 

 important purposes has been used ership. The hardwoods — chiefly 



