FOREST SERVICE. 385 



Not uncommonly there are restricted stands of very old timber 

 surrounded by stands of yoimger trees. This very frequently 

 happens in the Cascade Mountains. The clear cutting of the old 

 timber is required because nearl}'' all of the trees are mature and 

 of very large size. It woultl not pay to leave trees for seed, even 

 if it were safe from the standpoint of windfall, because the trees 

 are so large that the value of the investment would be fully equal 

 to that involved in artificial planting, while their removal after 

 the young growth had started would do great damage. ^Miere the 

 area of the clearing is not large, natural reproduction is relied upon 

 from the surrounding stands. In the case of Douglas fir on the 

 Pacific coast, clearings may often be made from 500 to 1,200 feet 

 across with a reasonable expectation that good natural reproduction 

 wiU follow. It has been clearly demonstrated that on such clear- 

 ings natural reproduction is successful where the ground is burned 

 over and the dtbris and thick layer of litter is destroyed. Where 

 the clearing is so large that natural reproduction can not be reUed 

 upon, those portions which can not be reached in the natural dis- 

 tribution of seed must be restocked artificially. 



With the further development of forestry, many stands will be 

 clear-cut and restocked at once by artificial seeding or planting. 

 So far but little of this has been done except to supplement natural 

 reproduction. The eftorts of the Forest Service in artificial repro- 

 duction have been largely confined to the extension of forests on 

 land on which the forest has been destroyed by fire. 



In all cutting o]:)crations the trees which are to be removed are 

 carefully designated. If the operation is in the nature of a thinning, 

 each tree to be cut is marked ov a blaze and stamped with a mark- 

 ing ax. If there is a clear cutting the boundaries of the clearing 

 are designated by a line of blazes. If all trees but a few scattered 

 individuals are to be cut, the trees which are to be left standing 

 are marked. 



Heretofore it has not been possible to do much improvement 

 cutting in immature stands. Such cuttings are designed to remove 

 trees which are dead or dying, or of poor species. The thinning of 

 immature stands which are overcrowded results in a very large increase 

 of rate of growth, and the stand is brought to maturity in a shorter 

 time. It is possible to do such improvement work in the Forests 

 where there is a market for small poles and for cord wood. 



The recent timber-sale operations have shown a great advance 

 in the skill with which natural reproduction has been provided for; 

 but on account of the present market conditions in most of the 

 National Forests, the silvicultural work is necessarily crude com- 

 pared to European practice and to that in the regions of good markets 

 m the East. 



Timber trespass. — Payments in settlement of timber trespass 

 during the year amounted to S35,775.55, including S634.08 for fire 

 trespass, as against $43,109.39 for the previous year. The amount 

 recoiverl during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1007, in settlement for 

 timber cut in trespass was 865,536.32, and during 1908, $55,405.76. 

 These figures show that the amount received in 1908 was 15 per cent 

 less, in 1909, 34 per cent less, and in 1910. 45 per cent less than it was 

 during the fiscal year 1907. This gradual and substantial tlecrease 



~?A7-°—\GR 1910 2.". 



