60 



A PRIMER OF FORESTRY. 



THE CULMINATION OF GROWTH. 



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Fig. 58.— An old Longleaf Pine with flat- 

 tened crown. Eastern North Carolina. 



While the young trees 

 are making clean trunks 

 so rapidly during the pe- 

 riod of greatest yearly 

 heiglit growth they are 

 also making their great- 

 est annual gains in diam- 

 eter, for these two forms 

 of growth generally cul- 

 minate about the same 

 time. A little later, if 

 there is any difference, 

 the young forest's highest 

 yearly rate of growth in 

 volume is also reached. 

 For a time these three 

 kinds of growth keep on 

 at the same rate as in the 

 past, but afterwards all 

 three begin to decrease. 

 Growth in diameter, and 

 in volume also, if the 

 trees are sound, goes on 

 until extreme old age, but 

 height growth sinks very 

 low while the two others 

 are still strong. For 

 many years before this 

 happens the struggle be- 

 tween the trees has not 

 been so deadly, because 

 thev have been almost 



