The French possess extensive colonies in Africa, Asia, America and
Oceania, covering not less than four million square miles with over 90
million people, to some of which at least they have extended some
features of their forest policy, notably in Algeria, Tunis, Indo-China
and Madagascar.
_Algeria_, which was conquered in 1828, is about four-fifths of the size
of France, but only 5.5 per cent. is forested. Besides the desert, there
are two forest regions, the northern slope, the so-called Tell, abutting
on the Mediterranean, which, with 20 per cent. forested, contains the
most valuable forests of Cork Oak, various other oaks, and Aleppo Pine;
and the high plateau to the south, a region of steppes with about 6%
forested, mostly with brushwood. The adjoining _Tunis_ also contains
some 2 million acres of forest, a part of which clothed with the
valuable Cork Oak.
Although the population does not exceed 5 million, import of wood from
Sweden and elsewhere to nearly one million dollars in amount is
necessary. The first advance of civilization led to wide-spread
destruction of the originally larger forest area; fire and pasture
being specially destructive.
Before the French occupation, the 8 million acres of forest were all, as
usual in the mussulman’s empires, the property of the sultan, but were
used like communal property by the people. By 1871, the larger portion,
some 6 million acres remained in possession of the state, much
encumbered by rights of user.
At the same time, considerable areas (some 700,000 acres) had been ceded
to communities outright, and others (1.25 million acres) had been sold
to private parties. At first, these latter lands were let for
exploitation of the cork oak on 40 year leases, later extended to 90
years with indemnities for damage by fire--an incentive to allow these
to run, until in 1870, the fire damage having become onerous, all areas
burned after 1863 were gratuitously ceded to the contractors, more than
one-third the areas involved, and the other two-thirds were then sold at
a ridiculously low price and under the easiest conditions of payment, in
the same shameful manner in which the timberlands of the United States
were given away.
In 1836, a forest administration for the state domain was inaugurated,
but the unfortunate division of powers between military and civil
authorities was a hindrance to effective improvement of conditions. The
fire ravages of 1871 led to a thorough re-organization under the
direction of Tassy, in 1873.
Nevertheless, in 1900, Lefebvre, Inspector of Forests, in his book, _Les
forêts de l’Algérie_, still complains that the forests are being ruined,
especially by pasturing, the means allowed the administration being too
niggardly measured.
The Forest Code of the home country and special laws enacted from time
to time applies. The administration of the state and communal forest is
directly under the home department and is regulated in similar manner.
A re-organization and a special forest code for Algiers was enacted in
1903. This legislation relies still largely on the general principles of
the Code of 1827. The most interesting features are the provision for
expropriation and addition to the state domain of forests the
preservation of which is of public interest, and the rigorous forest
fire legislation, which permits the treatment of incendiaries as
insurrectionists, makes the extinction of forest fires a duty of the
forest officials, and provides the forcible establishment of fire lines
(rides) between neighbors.
In the forests placed under the forestry regime, permits from the
governor-general are required for clearing. For the administration of
these properties, the state receives ten per cent. of the gross yield.
Reforested hilltops or slopes and sand dunes are relieved from taxes for
30 years, burnt areas for 10 years.
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In the other African possessions, unregulated exploitation of the
tropical forests, largely for by-products, like caoutchouc, kola, and
fine furniture woods, is still the order of the day, except in
_Madagascar_, which with 25 to 30 million acres of tropical forest area,
was, in 1900, provided with a forest service, which is under the
Minister of Colonies. Here, a license system is in vogue, giving
concessions to exploit limited areas for a given time, at an annual rent
of less than one cent, per acre per year. The concessions run from 5 to
20 years, and on 12,500 acres or more, the time of their duration being
extended from the lowest term for one year for every 2,500 acres. Police
regulations and fines are intended to check abuses, and to regulate the
rights of user exercised by natives.
* * * * *
In _Indo-China_ (Cochin-China, Cambodia, Anam, Tonquin) the total forest
area is still unknown. Only that of Cochin-China with 2.5 million acres,
and of Cambodia with 10 million acres can be stated, and Cochin-China
seems to possess the only approach to a forest service. Although it is
estimated that in 1901 in the whole of Indo-China, with 18 million
people, some 85 million cubic feet of wood were cut (nine-tenths fire
wood) an import of over $200,000 worth of workwood from Europe was
needed.
The first attempts at regulating forest use in these Asiatic possessions
date back to 1862, when exploitation was confined to delimited areas.
The administration, however, remained inefficient, and under
impracticable and heterogeneous orders, which were issued from time to
time, devastation progressed with little hindrance.
For Cochin-China, a more definite forest policy was formulated in
1894-5, when not only the State domain but also the private forest
property was placed under the _régime forestier_. The supervision of the
private forests consists in requiring the marking of trees to be cut by
government agents, and a permit for their removal.
The State forests are of two classes: Reserves in which all cutting is
forbidden, only some 200,000 acres; and those in which licenses to cut
may operate. Such licenses are given for one year and for a price of 100
piastres. The villagers have free use of the less valuable woods, their
only obligation being to assist in protection against fire and theft.
A real forest service was not instituted until 1901 a director with four
assistants being placed in charge under the Department of Agriculture.
Until recently reports of the deplorable condition due to absence of
technical management reached the outside, but lately (1911), the
Governor-General discussing the situation not only speaks approvingly of
the forest service, which on the two million acres under its immediate
management had, by 1909, trebled the revenue, but talks of extending its
activities to planting up waste places in order to secure favorable
water conditions for irrigating lands.
The rest of the colonies are being merely exploited.