QUOTE: Originally posted by JWest21
I believe this is true. WWI wiped out a lot of the original trees, so they were replanted. So says the tour guide when I was in Europe. it.
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Sorry to bring to you JWest, but WWI did almost no damage to the Ardennes (the Bulge-area), WWI was (in Belgium) fought in what we call the "Westhoek" (translation ; Westerne Corner), the region of Ypres, Diksmuide and so... the battlefields were all between the river Yser and the coast.
The Germans rushed from the boarder in just a few days. It is true however that most if not all the trees in that coastal area were distroyed by 4 years of intensive shelling and about 6 months of flooding.
The scars can still (more than 80 years later) be seen. I often went to that area when I still had my motorcycle, since it is a very beautifull and quiet region.
Indeed the pine trees are cultivated, but the loss of the orriginal trees has nothing to do with the war, the trees were chopped down during centuries of extensive mining and other heavy industry.
So, next time you travel you might considdering, taking another tourguide with you
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