124 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



tically all the woodlots arc damaged by 

 fire, grazing, poor conditions for growth, 

 often by insects or disease, so that 

 today practically no woodlot is as 

 thrifty as it should be. When the good 

 farm land was cleared, then the poorer 

 lands were attacked, and this continued, 

 until today we find thousands of acres 

 which, being best adapted to forest 

 growth, should never have been cleared. 



On the other hand, wet lands, a little 

 difficult to handle becuase in need of 

 draining, were mostly left uncleared, 

 and frequently we find the best land on 

 the farms under woods. Nor was any 

 notice taken of the value of woods for 

 windbreaks, etc. 



So there is no fixed relation between 

 the actual location of the woodlot and 

 the location which would give the 

 fullest possible benefits of an equal area 

 of woodlot on the farm. 



Now, all these conditions have 

 changed. It is certain that intelligent 

 and careful management of land, best 

 adapted for the woodlot, will prove a 

 profitable investment. This investment 

 will generally consist of time and labor, 

 which otherwise would be less profitably 

 employed or else woiild lie idle (winter 

 work) ; and in the foregoing of certain 

 present cash returns when trees, which 

 might be sold, are left to grow; and to a 

 limited extent, in actual outlay of 

 money, for trees to plant, in marking 

 trees for cutting, or in other extra work 

 in woodlot improvement. 



A PROGRAM OF MANAGEMENT. 



What is practical in forestry for the 

 ordinary farm or estate in any given 

 case must, of course, depend on the 

 specific conditions involved. In gen- 

 eral, the application of management 

 will be in about this order : 



(1.) Protection, principally against 

 fire, often against grazing; and to a 

 lessor extent, against diseases and insect 

 attacks. Protection is closely connected 

 with 



(2.) Damage cuttings of watse ma- 

 terial on the ground, dead or dying 

 trees, etc., which make the worst fire 

 traps, and breeding places for diseases. 

 This, in nearly every case, can be done 

 at a profit, as the material yielded will 

 pay for the labor. 



(3.) Avoiding Waste. In this con- 

 nection may be mentioned the use of 

 better and more carefu^ methods in the 

 woods: — cutting low stumps; working 

 up all material in tops and limbs ; work- 

 ing everything into its most profitable 

 form; taking care not to injure remain- 

 ing trees when cutting or hauling in the 

 woods, etc. All this is closely connected 

 with 



(4.) Cuttings made of standing tim- 

 ber, in such a way as to improve condi- 

 tions. While to be discussed more in 

 detail under the subject of management, 

 these are broadly divided into (1) im- 

 provement cuttings, in which the prin- 

 cipal aim is the removal of those trees 

 which should be cut for the benefit of 

 the remaining stand; and (2) reproduc- 

 tion cuttings, in which the main idea is 

 to secure a new crop from seed of the 

 most desirable species. 



(5.) Planting or sowing either on 

 the open waste places; or in existing 

 woodlots, where these are too open, or 

 where they contain too great a 

 proportion of inferior species; or for 

 windbreak or aesthetic effects, etc. 

 Planting is very closely related to the 

 relocation or change in area of the wood- 

 lot, where necessary to secure the best 

 results from a given area of woodlot — 

 that is, where the sum total of all the 

 factors of value, as enumerated prev- 

 iously, is the greatest. 



(6.) A plan of regulating the cut 

 may be to secure a certain amount of 

 material of given quality and size every 

 year, or at regular periods. A plan for 

 an equal annual cut is rarely practicable 

 in ordinary woodlots, as now found, 

 because the area under management is 

 too small and its condition too poor. 

 However, it is practicable to aim for an 

 annual cut not to exceed the annual 

 growth ; or for a cut less than the annual 

 growth, accimiulating a reserve fund for 

 larger timbers to be cut at more or less 

 definite intervals. Where possible, this 

 involves a definite system of forest 

 management. 



FACTORS OF GROWTH. 



All tree growth, like other vegetation 

 is governed by the environment in 

 which found. This is true of individual 

 trees, of species, and of types or com- 



