140 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



In some cases there is no opportunity to do more than impress the 

 farmer with the importance of protection of his woodland, especially 

 the taking care of the young growth and possible improvement cuttings 

 or thinnings to supply his own needs for firewood and other uses. 



In a great majority of cases, however, there is enough salable ma- 

 terial on the ground to justify an operation, and it is in such cases that 

 the forester can do the most effective work. 



In a mixed, uneven aged, hardwood stand, such as is common in the 

 farm woodlands of the East, the selection of the trees to cut and those 

 to be left for future growth is of the greatest importance if the pro- 

 ductivity of the woodland is to be maintained, and unless the forester 

 is prepared to carry the farmer through this critical stage a golden 

 opportunity will be lost. 



The plan under consideration is designed to do this in an effective 

 way, so that the forester can guide the operation through all of its 

 stages. 



MARKING AND ESTIMATING THE TIMBER 



At the time of the preliminary examination the foundation is laid 

 and treatment prescribed for the next step of the operation, which 

 involves the selection, marking, and measuring of the trees to cut. 

 This work usually follows some time after the examination and is per- 

 formed by a man of technical training, although a high-salaried man is 

 not required, since he is carrying out a prescribed treatment. 



A good working crew is a forester with two assistants, usually the 

 farmer and a helper. The forester selects the trees and does the tally- 

 ing, while the two assistants caliper and mark the trees. The mark 

 consists of a blaze four or five feet from the ground, always on the 

 same side of the tree on a given tract to facilitate the inspection, and a 

 check mark, consisting of a blaze on the root or near the base of the 

 tree, stamped with a marking hatchet. 



A three-man crew can usually cover about 25 acres per day under 

 average conditions. The work is often lightened by omitting the mark- 

 ing of certain species, all of which may be included in the estimate, 

 such as chestnut, on account of the blight, or certain undesirable spe- 

 cies. These may be calipered or diameters estimated without being 

 marked. 



Information is also secured to supplement that obtained at the time 

 of the preliminary examination as to logging costs, local timber prices, 

 etc., to be used in connection with general information as a basis for 

 determining stumpage values. 



