316 PRIVATE FORESTRY IN FRANCE 



But nevertheless many of the great forest properties are disappearing ^ 

 because the higher cost of operation usually reduces the return to less than 

 3 per cent. 



Areas and Systems of Management. — No less than 15,988,857 acres 

 of forest (out of a total of 24.4 million acres) are in private ownership. Of 

 this 610,901 acres are unproductive; 4,856,214 acres in coppice; 5,856,947 

 acres in coppice-under-standards; 106,314 in conversion; and less than 

 one-third, or 4,558,481 acres, in high forest. In other words more than 

 two-thirds of the private forests are in coppice or coppice-under-standards, 

 and in 1912 less than 1 acre in 100,000 was being converted to high forest. 

 The individual clearly wants his forest to yield returns frequently and he 

 desires but a small amount of capital tied up in growing stock. Therefore 

 it is only when local conditions almost force the high forest on the private 

 owner that he holds this class of stand. In the Landes and Gironde, in 

 parts of the Sologne, in mining districts where there is a great demand for 

 props, and in the mountains where coppice will not thrive, he must fall 

 back on the high forest. In order to still further reduce the capital tied 

 up in growing stock the private owner invariably chooses shorter rotations 

 than does the technically trained State forester. It is not infrequent 

 that private coppice is managed under a 6- to 18-year rotation, whereas 

 the State forest coppice would be at least 25 to 40 years. For spruce or 

 fir the public forest rotation would be 120 to 180 years and the private 

 forest 30 to 120. A similar difference exists in pine stands, although this 

 difference is less marked with maritime pine than with Scotch pine. 



Legislation Against Deforestation. — All through the later forest 

 history of France the Government has always tried to restrain the private 

 owner and force him to conserve his property. "The files of the 

 Chamber of Deputies are full of projects that menace forest property," 

 wrote Bonnevoy, the Rh6ne deputy, in commenting on proposed con- 

 servation laws. Yet from 1815 to 1870 the State itself sold no less than 

 871,401 acres' of pubhc forest for $59,251,000! 



With the necessity for restraining the private owner it is not sur- 

 prising that there should be a stringent law again.st the "clearing of 

 private timber" revised and reenacted in 1859 (see p. 263). 



The owner is given an opportunity to present his argument at a 

 public hearing. It is my impression that the law is leniently applied 

 but in notable instances large properties have been held to be essential 

 forest land and could not be clear cut. Most French laws benefit and 

 protect the private owner, especially against theft, trespass, and fire. 



2 The great forest of Eu-et-Aumale was sold in 1912 for $1,883,500 to a company which 

 was preparing to clear cut. This the Government was unwilling to allow and was, there- 

 fore, planning to purchase it as a State forest. 



' Du R6tabhssement de Nos Forfits, par Ch. Broilliard. Besangon, 1910. 



