198 France. 



Only 15 per cent, of the forest area is coniferous, 18 

 per cent, mixed conifer and broad-leaf forest and 67 per 

 cent, pure or mixed broad-leaf forest. Of the 327 mil- 

 lion acres hardly more than one-third, belonging to 

 state and communities, are managed under working 

 plans. The larger area is under coppice. According to 

 the ofiBeial publication Statistique forestiere, by A. Mat- 

 thieu, giving the details of the public forests for 1876, 

 the following relation of the different types of forest 

 management existed in these forests. 



State forests, per cent. . . .45 



Communal forests, do 30 1 67 2 



Total, per cent 36 10 51 3 



Three-fourths of the communal and less than one- 

 pfth of the state's seed forest is managed under selection 

 system. Combinations of farm and forest culture (sar- 

 tage and furetage) are still quite extensively practised. 

 The production of saw-timber under these practices is 

 naturally small. Of the 40 cubic feet of wood per acre 

 only 10 cubic feet are saw-logs and if the private forests 

 were taken into consideration, the average product, on 

 the whole would appear stiU smaller, the private proper- 

 ties being mostly small, poorly managed, and largely cop- 

 pice. Neither the owners, nor their managers and 

 guards have, as a rule, any professional education, 

 although the means of obtaining it exist in the schools at 

 Nancy and Barres. 



At present the administration of the state forests is 

 under the Minister of Agriculture as President of the 

 Forestry Council, with a Director-General as Vice Presi- 



