AFFORESTATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 639 



although coppice systems will find place in a national scheme 

 of afforestation, greater caution is required in their prescription 

 owing to the danger of over-production of a hmited number 

 of products, and, what is of even greater importance, the 

 possible exhaustion of the soil consequent on more complete 

 utilisation. Finally much of the area contemplated for planting 

 in the United Kingdom has not the warm climate so necessary 

 for the successful growing of coppice and in most cases the 

 soil has already deteriorated from over-exposure. 



High forest must then be the system chiefly employed and 

 it remains to consider the question of establishing, tending 

 and harvesting the crops. 



These must primarily depend on the quality of locality and 

 species in each area, but seeing how abundant the growth of 

 heather, bracken and other weeds is over most of the land, 

 and how necessary it is to protect the soil as soon as possible, 

 planting in one form or another will generally be advisable. 

 This is more expensive than sowing and still more than natural 

 regeneration, but it has already been pointed out how the 

 initial expenditure mounts up at compound interest by the 

 end of rotation, and, while natural regeneration is obviously 

 out of the question in areas which are not wooded, planting, 

 being more likely to prove successful from the outset, is likely 

 to be less expensive in the end. 



In future working the attainment of natural regeneration 

 should be sought, for not only is it the cheapest method, but 

 it most effectually reduces the liability of the soil to deteriora- 

 tion from the time of removal of the old crop until the new 

 one is established. To ensure the greatest chance of success 

 in this the crops will have to be tended with this object in 

 view. One of the chief requirements for natural regeneration 

 is a receptive condition of the soil and this is seldom naturally 

 provided when required in forests which are managed to meet 

 certain economic requirements to their fullest extent. For 

 instance, a closely grown crop of shade-bearers does not 

 sufficiently permit of the disintegration of litter to enable 

 seedlings to reach the mineral soil, whilst in a crop of light- 

 demanding species the natural early opening out of the canopy 

 will induce conditions suitable for regeneration before seed is 

 produced abundantly, or before the parent crop can be removed 

 and the seedlings allowed to develop. In either case it must 



