532 JCJURXAL OF FORESTRY 



to make it necessary for him to secure as high a return as possible 

 from his operation and forego leaving immature trees for a future cut. 



Forest management must therefore be the go-between between 

 these two interests — -the preservationist on one side and the lumberman 

 on the other — as to the areas on which cutting shall take place and the 

 degree of the cut. Use without abuse is the ideal condition, safe- 

 guarding scenic values and utilizing the mature timber. As brought 

 out above, most of the timber in the more scenic locations is non- 

 commercial and must remain uncut. There are also certain com- 

 mercial stands of timber intensively used for recreation, or likely to 

 be, which it is pretty generally agreed should be administered pri- 

 marily for the development of their recreational values. For example : 

 (]) Timber along traveled roads; (2) timber on community camp 

 grounds; and (3) timber on islands or bordering on lakes. 



While many scenic areas contain stands of commercial timber in 

 which probably no cutting should take place, it is felt that the ma- 

 jority of them can be cut over lightly to advantage. The history of 

 the forest is that if it is left to itself certain trees will grow to ma- 

 turity and later become decadent. Others become suppressed and die. 

 If no cutting takes place in stands becoming mature and overmature, 

 a good many dead and down trees are usually found and fungus 

 diseases or insect infestations are usually present. The usual mature 

 forest also contains young growth and thrifty immature trees. The 

 law authorizing the sale of timber from the National Forests gives as 

 the purpose of cutting "preserving the living and growing timber and 

 promoting the younger growth.'' The sound, thrifty young and imma- 

 ture trees are retained, and there is more chance of such trees remain- 

 ing healthy than would be true if the stand were left in its virgin con- 

 dition. Many types are much more accessible after an improvement 

 cutting has taken place and the stand has been thinned, brush has been 

 burned, etc. For this reason, and on account of the removal of dead 

 and diseased specimens, stands improved as indicated, are much more 

 attractive to many than if they are left in their virgin condition. A 

 good example of such an improvement cutting was occurring on Star 

 Island and nearby sections and points on the Minnesota Forest, ex- 

 tensively used by tourists, where approximately $37,000 worth of dead 

 and badly diseased timber was removed three winters ago. From the 

 appearance of the remaining stand, it w^as difficult to tell that anv ma- 



