44 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



mostly on the forest description sheet. And this forest description 

 sheet should be written by the men on strip line during the course of 

 the work of mapping and estimating. 



Answers to the following questions were wanted for each acre of 

 the property : 



Is it plantable or not plantable? Why? Does it need planting? 

 If so, when should it be planted, with what stock (species and age), 

 how many trees per acre? Is the case one of underplanting or out- 

 planting ? 



Should thinnings or cuttings be made? When and of what kind? 



What silvicultural system should be used in harvesting the stand? 

 When should it be harvested? 



Is any special protection needed? 



What species of tree or trees should dominate in the stand for best 

 results ? When should the area be examined again ? 



What is the quality of site? 



What is the density of the stand? i.e., is it well stocked or poorly 

 stocked ? 



If to these questions answers of reasonable correctness could be 

 obtained for each 10-acre area on the forest (which would be. practi- 

 cally, for every acre of the property) much of the most desired infor- 

 mation necessary for the working plan would be at hand. The timber 

 estimator tallied every tree, one-inch in diameter in size and up on 

 the strip and the data thus obtained were of much assistance here. 



In preparation of the forest description form we used most helpful 

 suggestions obtained from Filibert Roth, Professor of Forestry, Uni- 

 versity of Michigan. 



The forest description sheet is simply a questionary. The questions 

 printed on it are essentially those asked above. We decided to print 

 such questions that in answering them the forester would be forced 

 to think about the stand in terms of silviculture. Ordinarily, when 

 in the woods, to think this way is not easy. A man is busy making 

 mental pictures ; his mind does not easily originate questions con- 

 cerning the silvics or silviculture of the stand. For when in the brush 

 he is rarely entirely at his ease ; he is not in a quiet warm room in an 

 easy chair. He is usually physically uncomfortable, is tired, bothered 

 by flies or mosquitoes, wet and cold. He forgets to make the observa- 

 tions he should make. For these reasons our questionary was as 

 complete and definite and detailed as we knew how to make it in 

 accordance with the results desired of it. 



