292 FEATURES OF FRENCH NATIONAL FOREST ADMINISTRATION 



along compartment boundaries whereas they should have followed 

 the contour. This mistake in ahgnment is often encountered. Trails 

 rarely have a grade of more than 12 per cent and are kept in excellent 

 repair. One feature is the provision for adequate drainage and up-keep. 

 The drainage is often secured by placing a cross-piece of wood, 6 or 7 

 inches in diameter, so that when the water runs down the path it is 

 deflected as soon as it reaches the wooden barrier; it is raised 1 to 2 

 inches above the level of the path. Trails that are used largely by 

 tourists (see Fig. 21) are marked with distinctive paint that corresponds 

 with guide maps used by the Touring Club de France. 



Boundaries. — The boundaries of all French forests are accurately 

 marked and some of the former royal forests are surrounded by stone 

 walls. There are usually at least stone boundary pillars properly 

 chiseled and marked in red, giving the number of the compartment 

 working group and the serial number of the boundary post. For example, 

 54 E 1 would mean boundary post No. 54, compartment E of working 

 group No. 1. In the forest of Risol in the High Jura, the compartment 

 boundaries usually follow roads and trails, but a few had to be blazed and 

 marked through the forest. On each side of the road along compart- 

 ment boundaries there is a letter every 50 yards or so giving the number 

 of the compartment. Where two boundaries join both sides are marked 

 in order to avoid confusion. When it is considered that the area of a com- 

 partment is usually as small as 35 to 50 acres the intricacy of boundary 

 up-keep may well be realized. A favorite method of marking is to paint 

 the border tree with a white square with the letter in red in the center. 



In the thirty-second conservation (Vesoul) the following specific 

 directions were issued regarding boundary ditches: 



"Ditches. — New ditches or those repaired will be designated on the ground by the 

 local agent. . . . They will have the full dimensions." 



As an alternative: 



"And if it is recognized by the local agent that the natvire of the soil prevents the 

 construction of boundary ditches a stone wall may be substituted, solidly constructed, 

 with a height of 39 inches, a width at the base of 31 inches and at the top of 20 inches. 

 If there is no stone the wall may be replaced by an earth embankment 79 inches at the 

 base and 39 inches high." 



