ACREAGE AND DISTRIBUTION 41 



cept in the higher mountains and in the regions bordering the Mediterra- 

 nean and the Atlantic Ocean. The essential silvicultural characteristic 

 of each of these species is given on pp. 387. 



Beech is the second important species and occupies 18.2 per cent of the 

 productive forest area. It is found everywhere except in the highest 

 mountains, on the Mediterranean, and plains of the southern Atlantic 

 coast line, including the Gironde, Landes, and Dordogne. The distribu- 

 tion of beech is shown in Fig. 5, 



The hornbeam, although it occupies 11 per cent of the productive area, 

 is not an important timber species notwithstanding its wide distribution. 

 It does not grow to large size and its chief function is to supply fuel and 

 to maintain soil conditions. The distribution of hornbeam is shown in 

 Fig. 5. 



The holm oak is confined chiefly to the regions not occupied by the 

 timber oaks, by beech, and by hornbeam. It is often found in mixture 

 with cork oak (whose distribution is given in Fig. 5) and with aleppo 

 pine. 



Silver fir occupies 7.1 per cent of the productive forest area and is 

 especially adapted to the climate prevailing in northern, eastern, and 

 central France, and is a typical species of the Vosges, Jura, Alps, and 

 Pyi-enees. It reaches its optimum development in the Jura. 



Notwithstanding that Scotch pine occupies 6.5 per cent of the produc- 

 tive forest area, it does not grow naturally in level country, but only in 

 the mountains of the Vosges, Central Plateau, Alps, and Pyrenees; it has 

 not grown naturally in the Jura, since in that department it cannot main- 

 tain its struggle for existence on limestone soil. But because of its use 

 for forestation it is found in every department in France except ten; it 

 forms at least one-tenth the stand of technically administered forests in 

 twenty-six departments. 



The maritime. pine commercially is one of the most important timber 

 species of France, but is limited to a comparatively small region, as shown 

 by Fig. 5. 



Norway spruce is found only in the higher mountain regions of the 

 Jura, Vosges, and Alps, and does not grow naturally in the Pyrenees. 

 Outside of these mountain regions it is unimportant, since the mild 

 climatic conditions of the plains do not favor its growth. 



The larch also is confined even more markedly to the higher mountain 

 regions. Its natural habitat is the Alps. 



These five broadleaved species and six conifers are the important trees 

 of France. How they are distributed in the different forest regions has 

 already been explained. To give a more intimate view of French silvi- 

 culture, the writer has included monographs on these principal species. 

 The data are not original; much are freely translated from authoritative 



