290 FEATURES OF FRENCH NATIONAL FOREST ADMINISTRATION 



tion should also be insured except for the timber actually felled, which 

 should be insured separately.'^ 



The rates prevaiUng in 1912 were as follows : 



Type of forest 



High forest, without conifers 



Coppice, or coppice-under-standards, with not to exceed 10 per cent of 



conifers in the stand 



Conifers 1 to 10 years old 



Conifers 10 to 15 years old 



Conifers 15 to 30 years old 



Conifers 30 to 50 years old 



Conifers older than 50 years 



It is curious to note that the rate for conifers older than 50 years is 

 the same as the rate for a broadleaf high forest without conifers. This 

 hardly seems fair, but according to French writers there is but Uttle 

 danger in old conifer stands, since insurance is limited to portions of 

 France where the fire damage is at a minimum. There is not a company 

 in France that would assume the risk of insuring aleppo pine stands along 

 the Mediterranean — the risk is considered too excessive. Nor would 

 they insure maritime pine stands in the Landes. The company. La 

 Providence of Paris, charges approximately 20 per cent higher rates 

 than those cited. Judging from the results thus far there Avill never be 

 practicable fire insurance in France jor stands where the fire risk is really 

 great. But it is hoped that the day will come in the United States when 

 forest-fire insurance will be possible for the majority of stands. 



BETTERMENTS ^ 



Forest Houses. — Very substantial houses are constructed for the use 

 of French rangers. They are of fire-proof construction, with cement 

 floors, tile roofs, and stone or cement walls. On the large forests the 

 ranger house is sometimes in the center of the ranger district even if it 

 is some distance from local villages. In such cases the problem of 

 transportation is a simple one, since all the roads are suitable for bicycles. 

 Where practicable the tendency is to locate the ranger station on the 

 outskirts of or near local villages. In one or two instances double houses 

 for two guards and their families have been tried, especially in out-of-the- 

 way places, but this arrangement is rarely successful. 



Roads and Trails. — The roads are generally of two main classes — 



" A translation of a French forest fire damage calculation is given in the Appendix 

 p. 534. 



" See French Forests and Forestry already cited. 



