226 



If circumstances make it necessary to cut all the mature timber at once, 

 small groups of seed trees should be allowed to stand until reproduction 

 is established. An average of five or six good seed-bearing individuals 

 per acre should be sufficient for the purpose. By leaving them in small 

 groups the trees are protected from wind, and they may be removed 

 with a minimum of injury to the young growth when no longer needed 

 for seed. 



The practice of these methods necessarily increases the cost of 

 logging. The extra care on the part of the choppers in protecting 

 young growth, the reduction in the amount of timber taken at a single 

 cutting, the cost of marking the trees to be cut, and sometimes other 

 incidental expenses, reduce the immediate profit. But these expendi- 

 tures are small compared with the net returns that result. These returns 

 are represented by the reduction in the time required to secure the next 

 crop and the greatly increased value of the timber. 



Cut-over Stands. — The first step in the management of cut-over 

 woodland is to remove the veterans that have been left because of their 

 defects, usually spreading trees that take up a great deal of room and 

 yield little or no wood of value. In case these should be of a desirable 

 species, and reproduction of that species scanty, they may be left until 

 they have produced one or two good crops of seed. 



The next step is to improve the second growth, for on this the 

 future stand depends. It may be in dense thickets, in a scattering 

 open stand, or in irregular groups. The denser stands should be 

 thinned, removing the least promising trees in order to stimulate the 

 growth of the better individuals of the more valuable species. Trees 

 that show si^ns of becoming overtopped or of disease, badly formed 

 trees, and those of the undesirable species, should be cut. Other things 

 being equal, seedlings should be left rather than sprouts if saw-timber 

 is the object. Care must be taken not to make openings large enough 

 to encourage the growth of weeds or shrubs, or to permit the soil to 

 dry out from exposure to wind and sun. Where the density is not 

 sufficient to admit of thinning, improvement measures must be post- 

 poned until the density is increased with age, unless planting is 

 resorted to. If the young growth is very scanty and there is no 

 prospect of further natural reproduction from neighboring trees, it is 

 necessary to plant in order to establish a productive forest within a 

 reasonable length of time. 



Thinning operations in small timber are often limited by the lack 

 of market for the product. Frequently this can be utilized as mine- 

 props, and sometimes as fuelwood. Where the sale of the material 

 will pay for the operation, there should be no hesitation about making 

 thinnings, and it is often advisable to make them at a present loss for 

 the sake of increasing the ultimate value of the stand. 



