156 J. J. Kotze 



As each row is planted the first chain is moved on to the posi- 

 tion of the next row as indicated by the second and third chains 

 which are left on the ground until all the rows indicated by their 

 lengths are planted when they are moved onwards and the same 

 process repeated. 



6. Espacement. 



The espacement or distance at which the trees should be 

 planted from one another has, to quote Mr. Carlson:* " an im- 

 portant bearing not only on the successful establishment of a stand 

 of trees, but on its future development, the quaHty of wood pro- 

 duced, and the general economy of management. Too often 

 those intending to go in for afforestation are under an impression 

 that planting espacement is a common factor which can be applied 

 to any species, situation or circumstances, and that some day they 

 will harvest approximately the same number of trees that were 

 originally planted Such is far from being the case. Nature's 

 method is to regenerate in more or less dense mass formation 

 which, when unassisted by man, has to undergo a slow process 

 of survival of the fittest before final development is reached. 

 The science of forestry, evolved by man, consists in hastening 

 this process to secure his needs more quickly. We cannot, how^ 

 ever, afford to discard nature's example entirely, and must base 

 cur sylvicultural methods on certain fundamental natural princi- 

 ples. One of these principles is to secure what is technically 

 known as * forest conditions ' at an early stage. In a young 

 stand this condition is reached when it is sufficiently dense to 

 exclude weed-growth without necessity for further cultivation, 

 and no stand on the high veld (and elsewhere for that matter) 

 can be considered established, or safe against damage from frost, 

 drought and fire until then. To attain this end most economi- 

 cally the planting espacement has to be varied according to differ- 

 ences in rate of growth and individual habits of species, such 

 as natural erectness or otherwise of stem, density of lower bran- 



*" The Growing of Mine Props on the High Veld " — Forest 

 Dept. Bulletin 1 of 1920. 



