662 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



lutely dictate the policy in fellings. It is not necessary to sacrifice 

 silviculturally a tree or group to insure operator's profit; it is possible 

 further to require the removal of practically every tree without en- 

 croachment on profits. It is not intended to imply that the refinement 

 of jardinage of western European practice can be applied ; our costs 

 of administration are too high and the value of stumpage is still too low. 



The salient point is that at the present prices of timber it is possible, 

 if roads are supplied permitting the general use of motor trucks, to 

 adapt cutting to meet the broader phases of local silvicultural require- 

 ments, at least in the hollows where the heavy stands are concentrated. 

 It opens an opportunity for the inauguration of practice to solve many 

 of the basic silvicultural problems of the region : Determining the 

 character of the replacement to follow chestnut as it is killed by blight 

 (the recrudescence of the malady in southwestern Virginia seems to 

 portend its extension into the heavy stands farther south, which are 

 extremely valuable on account of their high tannin content) ; the more 

 general dissemination of poplar, ash, northern red oak, basswood, and 

 white pine ; the eradication from certain forest types, or at least the 

 reduction in proportion, of some of the low-grade species ; and ques- 

 tions of increment and increased value. It is not too soon to look for- 

 ward to a provisional decision as to the choice of species which should 

 be given preference in the diflPerent forest types in the stands now being 

 established, but which will not mature until after the end of this 

 century. 



For a long time the forest-land owner has been bombarded with a 

 barrage of "protection propaganda." It is believed that with autotrucks 

 and the portable band-mill it is now possible to make an affirmative 

 showing of the profits in serial fellings. Such fellings would be de- 

 signed to reduce operating costs in the first operation by neglecting 

 small trees, and to secure for the benefit of future operations price in- 

 crement for low-grade stock and accretion for young trees. It is be- 

 lieved that the time is now favorable for making an intensive investiga- 

 tion of these problems in connection with commercial operations, to 

 demonstrate whether serial fellings on private lands are feasible with 

 autotrucks as motive power, and thus keep abreast of changing 

 economic conditions. 



