880 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



This prevailing occurrence of practically even-aged masses of second 

 growth on large areas of old cuttings indicates vi^hat will be the future 

 condition of our timber sale areas. If upon these old cuttings the 

 remaining or over wood trees should be removed, the young growth 

 would then absolutely make an even-aged yellow pine forest in the 

 sapling stage. In the case of the 50-year-old miners' cutting near 

 Galena, such a removal of the over wood trees was actually effected a 

 number of years ago — by the early settlers for the purpose of getting 

 conveniently located firewood — and the forest now on the ground is a 

 pure, even-aged stand of poles. With this succession of even-aged 

 young growth after heavy selection cutting on old private areas pre- 

 vailing so universally, it is safe to expect with the passage of time, the 

 same sort of succession after timber sale cutting. If the future is 

 looked into 60 years hence to the first periodic cut when most of the 

 present overwood will be removed, it is not inconceivable that the lib- 

 erated underwood wall then be a stand of small poles very similar to 

 that on the old miner's cutting at Galena. 



The statement that western yellow pine, now almost everywhere a 

 many-aged forest in its virgin condition, will develop after heavy cut- 

 ting into an even-aged forest will perhaps be difficult for most foresters 

 to accept unchallenged. But there is no doubt of the ultimate accept- 

 ance of the idea, for the proof of it already exists. The doubt may be 

 expressed, however, that yellow pine may not continue its even-aged 

 character beyond 50 years, the age of the oldest stands arising from 

 logging in this region. It may be said that shortly after this the stand 

 may open up and gradually take on again the many-aged character of 

 the virgin forest. In proof that this is not the case is an even-aged 

 stand on the Whitman National Forest of l.-)0 years and some 20 acres 

 in extent which evidently originated naturally by some rare combination 

 of favorable conditions. Elsewhere on the National Forests there are 

 doubtless more such small areas of even-aged yellow pine which have 

 so far been passed unnoticed. Several other examples are known in 

 Oregon which have not been studied. And as is generally known the 

 Black Hills region contains quite large bodies of even-aged stands of 

 yellow pine, some of which are of merchantable size. 



How is this anomaly of even and uneven agedness in western 

 yellow pine to be explained? Foresters have long known about the 

 temporary types which follow destructive fires such as the aspen type 

 which temporarily supplants Engelmann spruce in the Rocky Alountains. 



