516 JOURNAI. OF FOREISTRY 



war, a hectare, yielding 10 cubic metres at 30 francs per cubic metre, 

 brought 300 francs, stumpage for the larger trees. The same hectare 

 had a stand of 100 steres (stacked cubic meters) of cordwood, cf 

 which only one-third was merchantable at a price of 4 francs a stere, so 

 that the cordwood was worth only 125 francs. During the war, the 

 same hectare brought 500 francs for timber at 50 francs per cubic 

 meter, and 600 for cordwood at 6 francs a stere. 



The relative values of the different species are, beginning with the 

 most valuable, ash, oak, beech, cherry, mountain ash, Hnden, maple, and 

 hornbeam. Of course, these relations very somewhat with local special- 

 ized demands. 



While economic conditions have their effect in a broad way on the 

 number of reserves, the real guides in marking are the silvical factors. 

 On north and east slopes and in the bottoms on good soil, ash and beech 

 are favored. Oak under these conditions becomes sickly and dies out 

 usually before it reaches timber size, so that even where good speci- 

 mens are present in the coppice, they are rarely reserved. Cherry and 

 mountain ash are not often found on these sites, but thrifty, well- 

 developed individuals are reserved where they occur. The hornbeam, 

 linden, and maple are only left where a tree of better species cannot 

 be found to fill too large an opening. 



On south and west slopes and shallow, rocky-soiled uplands, the 

 cherry and mountain ash are strongly favored, although they do not 

 become as large a proportion of the stand as oak, which is the species 

 chiefly reserved. Linden is not undesirable occasionally. Maple and 

 hornbeam are reserved only where better species are not present. 

 Beech and ash require deeper, moister soils. 



Perhaps the most striking feature of the marking is the absolute in- 

 sistence on reserving the very best individuals to be found on any 

 given area. Every tree is examined and the thrifty, well-developed 

 specimens of good species are reserved, even though they may already 

 be of a size to command a high sale value. The number per unit of 

 area is not considered a guide in marking as compared with the selec- 

 tion of the reserves. Among the standards which have already lived 

 through two or more coppice rotations, those are left which promise to 

 thrive and grow rapidly during another 30 years. In the coppice itself 

 individuals are selected which are straight and comparatively full- 

 crowned as a result of having grown a little faster than their neigh- 

 bors, so that they have made room for themselves. Usually only the 



