USES OF NATURAL AREAS 



11 



its full capacity or many irreparable 

 and costly errors may have been made. 

 This was the method emploj^ed in 

 testing the adaptability of certain 

 species in the plantations on the Bilt- 

 more Estate at Asheville, N. C. For 

 example, wild black cherry {Prunus 

 seroiina) was planted with a view to 

 its possibly becoming a timber tree. 

 We now know from a careful study of 

 the forest types within which this tree 

 attains commercial proportions that 

 there is no site on the Biltmore Estate 

 on which this species can be expected 

 to attain first size or to be more, in 

 fact, than a straggling slow growing 

 tree. 



The other method of meeting these 

 problems is by a study of the funda- 

 mental factors which control each 

 forest type within the type itself. Some, 

 if not all, of these factors should be 

 determined on sites on which the type 

 is unmodified or least modified, for 

 whenever it has been materially modi- 

 fied, especially for a long period, there 

 has been an accompanying, though 

 possibly slight and temporary, modifi- 

 cation of the site. 



When types formed of mixed stands 

 are cut over it is difficult and at times 

 impossible to determine their original 

 composition. For these reasons it is 

 urgently desirable that such unmodified 

 units of the different forest types be 

 located before the silvical conditions 

 are altered by repeated fellings and 

 that they be reserved for the study of 

 their controlling factors. In a few 

 years such vestigial units purposely 

 reserved will be the only unmodified 

 remnants of many of the forest types. 

 It will be only by the setting aside now 

 of such unmodified areas that there 

 can be any assurance of having these 

 plots of the various forest types availa- 

 ble for conducting such studies. 



As has been stated in a previous paper 

 on this subject^* it is eminently unde- 

 sirable that there should be a possi- 



»Ashe, W. W. "Reserved areas of principal 

 forest types as a guide in developing an American 

 silviculture." Journal of Forestry, 20: 276-2W. 

 1922. 



bility of the development of American 

 silviculture being hampered by the 

 failure to reserve such vestigial units 

 of the important forest types as fields 

 for research, and as check plots by 

 means of which it will be possible to 

 note the changes which take place in 

 the same types under the stress of ex- 

 ploitation and silvical development. 

 As a prerequisite for making the highest 

 use of such reserved units and the 

 studies which may be made in them, 

 the areas of the different forests' types 

 should be carefully mapped after the 

 types have been standardized. Only 

 this procedure will establish similarity 

 of conditions and will permit the ex- 

 tension to them of the laws which are 

 found to control on the vestigial units. 

 The study of the unmodified areas, 

 in connection with those which are 

 modified, will indicate the extent to 

 which it will be possible to deviate from 

 the normal and yet retain the equilib- 

 rium necessary for maintaining the 

 factors of the locality. Such studies 

 will determine whether it will be pos- 

 sible economically to replace one species 

 by another; whether it will be advan- 

 tageous to substitute a pure coniferous 

 stand for one of mixed hardwoods, or 

 if not, as to what proportion of the 

 stand the conifers can occupy. The 

 natural areas must in large measure 

 serve as the means of developing our 

 silviculture; their elimination from 

 exploitation and their preservation is 

 essential to that end. 



2. THE VALUE OF AQUATIC PRE- 

 SERVES TO FISHERIES 



By a. S. Pearse 



There are few "natural" environ- 

 ments for freshwater fishes in the 

 United States. Artificially stocked 

 streams, lakes, and ponds seldom pro- 

 duce such desirable fishes as are found 

 in localities where the wilderness has 

 not been disturbed by man. Great 

 natural preserves like the Great Lakes 

 and the Mississippi River should be 



