Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-12-30
OUR
N AT Y E.
TREES
... Bly,.
THOMAS II. MACBRIDE. Phi. D.,
Professor Of Botany, Iospd State
University.

| II ~
4 THOMAS H. MAcBRIDE. Phi. D.. !
Professor Of Botany, Io,pd State &
University.
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VIu.-Forestry and Reforesta-
ton.
~HE value of the forest in itself
| and in its relation to the vel
fare of humanity in general
has doubtless long attracted
the attention Of thoughtful men. Rec
ords of the fact are not wanting even
in the ancient classics. 1t is even
claimed for the old time Jews that they
had forest regulations. In western
Europe, however, for long time men
and trees seem to have stood in the
position of natural rivals. In times Of
peace as the population waxed the for
est retreated. When by defamation and
continuous war the people persisted, the
forests resumed their earlier sway and
covered the abandoned fields and
homes Of men. Indeed, as affording
opportunity for the chase forests were
by the rulers Of the earth sometimes
more highly esteemed than peoples and
towns. All earlier government regula-
tons preserved or established forests
simply as a covert for the wild beasts.
For whatever Of native forests exists
in England and western Europe gener-
ally we are doubtless indebted to the
hunting instinct strongly developed in
the hearts of the old time kings and
princes. The Norman kings Of Eng
land, rs every schoolboy knows, were
notorious for activity in this sport.
Sherwood forest is probably part Of the
prehistoric woods of Britain preserved
for purposes of the chase through all
the centuries. New forest was new by
order of William the Norman. A cul-
tivated country became royal hunting
ground and. in fact, remained so down
to the year 1857. The very royalty Of
the woods, however, operated ut length
to their disadvantage. They shared
the fortunes of monarchy and flourish
ed or decayed with the strength or
feebleness Of succeeding kings. A pow
erful monarch protected his property;
q weaker sovereign lost it. Thus the
celebrated ordinance Of 1859, elaborat.
ed by Colbert and Louis XIV, was en-
pected to correct abuses that during
the supremacy Of weaker sovereigns
had almost ruined the royal domain.
Of course, the overthrow of monarchy
under these conditions jeopardized the
very existence Of the forest According
ly we are not surprised that the Puri-
tan revolution in England left great!
reduced wooded area in that country.
and across the channel the notorious
French revolution vented its rage cspe.
cially on the royal forests, on groves.
on parks of castles, chateauX, wher-
ever q privileged class had up to that
time been the conservators Of large es-
tates and widespreading wooded re-
gions.
However, all this is happily now long
past. All men are wiser. Not only are
forests now preserved and cared for in
nearly all the principal countries of Eu-
rope, but their value is rightly esteemed
by everybody. Whether the property
Of king or people, no one nowadays
would think of their destruction or OBJ
literati
Forests in Europe, as Of yore, are
largely the property Of the government,
republic, kingdom or empire, but they
are no longer regarded as instruments
of oppression. France has now one of
the most complete systems Of forest
management in the world and has In
later years accomplished wonders in
restoring her provinces to the fortunate
condition Of earlier times. Since the
establishment at Naples Of school of
forestry in 1927 the application Of gen
uine scientific treatment in the whole
forest problem has been in France more
varied and extensive than anything else
in the world. Germany, as we shall
see, has q much larger organization.
but the problem in the fatherland was
much less complex. In general we may
say that in France the whole forest
question is in review. For instance,
France has undertaken the reforesta-
ton of her mountains. The movement
began in 1862 by the passage Of laws
making large appropriations for this
purpose. In the accomplishment of the
work something like $10,0O0,0O0 has
since been expended, and the task is
only about half completed. Eight mil
lion acres Of tillable land were threat
ened with destruction, and to avert the
impending calamity it was necessary
to plant with trees more than 100000
acres of mountain side In Gascony q
hundred years ago the whole region be-
tween the Gironde and the Adore was
swept by the west wind coming in from
the Atlantic. Vast sand dunes extend
ed for miles and miles along the west
ern coast Of France and were slowly
burying the tillable and habitable land.
moving inward at about the rate Of
sixteen feet per year. Those dunes
have been covered with forest Of
pines and are today the seat Of an in
dustry, forest industry, giving EN-
ployment to thousands Of people. One
cannot but admire the energy With
which such adverse conditions are over.
come. The Frenchman is staggered by
no difficulty. Nothing is impracticable
with him. If by the blunders Of the
past the mountains are coming down
upon him, he forthwith sets out to re
habilitate the mountains and bind the
sources Of the river; if the sands tossed
up by the waves threaten him with en-
tombment, he plants the dunes with
appropriate vegetation and makes OF
them not a windbreak only of interior
fields, but a breakwater to the en-
croachments Of the ocean. Does the
mistral plague his southern provinces
yex his orchards and blight his olive
yards, he plants forests across the path
| of the north wind and so restores the
old time conditions Of moisture and
| climate. If in all these matters men OF
| the next century are wiser and more
fortunate than we, it will in large