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Show I Belgium Will Be Treeless If Invaders Are Not Driven Out Soon. UTTER DESTRUCTION General Devastation Continues Contin-ues Throughout Entire Territory Terri-tory Occupied by Germans. PARIS, Nov. 15. It will be a treeless tree-less Belgium to which the people of that unfortunate country will return, if its Invaders arc not driven out before they have completed their work of devastation. Factories have been despoiled de-spoiled of their machinery, every form of property has been requisitioned, and now woods, forests and even individual indi-vidual trees are being cut down wholesale, whole-sale, The wooded heights of the Belgian Bel-gian Ardennes, which used to protect the center of the country from east winds, arc rapidly being denuded, the tall elms that lined the high roads and canals have been felled, and walnut wal-nut trees that adorned the gardens of the well-to-do in Brussclls have not been spared. In the early days of the occupation, the, Belgian state forest department was allowed to supervise the work of felling and see that it. was scientifically scientifical-ly conducted, but after a few months, the Germans took over the direction of the department and observed only one rule to obtain the greatest amount of wood for military purposes in the shortest possible time. The Belgian government has been able to learn details of the work done, such as that a thousand acres have been cleared In the Hertogcnwald (T.iotro's nnrl fellinir continues there. It ho fir plantation "Fays de Lucy," the: finest in the country, has been completely com-pletely razed, and the magnificent for-1 est of Scignes, south of Brussells, is rapidly disappearing. These are only examples of dozens of similar cases which are known and to this devastation devasta-tion must be added the consumption of wood by tho native population which for three years has been unable to import im-port any and has had to use quantities quanti-ties instead of coal. Serious consequences from every point of view, health, climatic and hy-drographic hy-drographic are expected from the widespread wide-spread destruction of woods and forests, for-ests, if it continues another vear or two. |