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GENERAL METHODS 



When a tract of forest land has been set aside permanently or 

 temporarily for the growing of timber, the next step is to provide for 

 the handling of the forest in such a way as to produce the greatest 

 returns. Forest protection is of course necessary, and a discussion of 

 this subject is given later. Where cutting is warranted, correct methods 

 must be adopted. In some instances planting may be necessary. To 

 better understand what methods of cutting are desirable, it is well to 

 note the effect of the methods that are commonly used. 



The ordinary logging operation consists in taking out all of the 

 best trees of whatever class of timber is wanted. This may injure the 

 productive capacity of the forest in four ways. First, the rate of 

 growth of the stand as a whole is likely to be reduced, since the most 

 easily utilized trees are usually the thrifty rapid-growing individuals, 

 and the tendency is to leave unhealthy trees. Second, the quality of 

 the future timber is damaged, since defective trees are left to grow, 

 and the irregular spacing fosters uneven development of the better 

 trees and causes many to die from isolation. Third, the composition 

 of the stand often deteriorates through the leaving of the least desir- 

 able species to occupy the ground. Fourth, the soil is too suddenly 

 exposed to wind and sun, so that it dries out and comes up to weeds 

 and grass instead of trees. Fortunately, all of these unfavorable con- 

 ditions do not always prevail, as sometimes the demands of utilization 

 more closely approximate the requirements of the stand, or the repro- 

 ductive capacity of the best trees may be so good that the composition 

 does not materially change. But in the majority of cases throughout 

 Illinois the larger timber has been cut so closely and with so little care 

 for the future, that a great deal of improvement work will be necessary 

 in order to fully restore the productive capacity of the woodland. 



Mature Stands. — Since bodies of mature timber are scarce in 

 Illinois, it is all the more important that they be handled carefully. 

 Many evils may be avoided by cutting the mature timber properly. 

 If it is practicable from a financial standpoint, and if the tract is 

 accessible, so that logging expenses will not be much increased, it is 

 best to remove the mature timber in three or more cuttings five or six 

 years apart. The first cutting in such a system includes small groups 

 of mature timber throughout the entire forest. The surrounding trees 

 supply seed to these openings, and young growth is soon established. 

 Then the groups are enlarged by a second cutting, and finally merged 

 by one or several succeeding cuttings, allowing intervals between cut- 

 tings long enough for reproduction to take place in the openings. 

 By this method the soil is protected from exposure, and if there are 

 trees too small to be cut profitably, these are not isolated too suddenly. 



