SILVICAL SYSTEMS IN SPRUCE IN NORTHERN 

 NEW HAMPSHIRE 



By Edward R. Linn, M. F. 

 Forester for Brozvn Company 



In northern New Hampshire the forest fires are so well controlled 

 that today the losses are very small. The good work of the New 

 Hampshire Timberland Owners' Association, in co-operation with the 

 State Forest Service, stands out as a shining example of what can be 

 done to keep fire out of the woods. 



The problem of second growth in New Hampshire is easily next 

 to the tire problem in importance. How to operate timber lands to 

 obtain second growth, keeping in mind the fact that the operator is 

 in a competitive business, is a problem that has puzzled and is still 

 puzzling the tiniljer-land operator who operates on a large scale in New 

 Hampshire and Maine. Various systems of management have been 

 tried with many different results. The selection system has been 

 recommended, tried, and given up for one reason or another. Several 

 modifications of the selection system — clean cutting in strips — and the 

 group system have all been tested out. The market or economic con- 

 ditions militate against these systems. There are very few logging rail- 

 roads, the logs or pulpwood are driven to the mills, and consequently 

 in the back regions hardwood is not merchantable. 



In the following pages it is proposed to record the results of various 

 methods of cutting, mostly done on the Brown Company's territory. 



In the last 30 years .some of the operators in northern New Hamp- 

 .shire and Maine have tried cutting spruce following the various silvical 

 systems. The most popular method of cutting that has been in vogue 

 is cutting to a diameter limit, a modification of the selection system. 

 This system has been applied to all types of spruce growth with all 

 kinds of results. In the early days, when only the piano butts wen- 

 taken, the selection .system in the pure spruce types .seemed to work as 

 it should. In the hardwood type T doubt if anything happened save to 

 reduce the ])crccntage of spruce in that particular forest type. Some 

 diameter limit cuttings of spruce and fir made in New Hampshire 

 from 10 to 25 years ago leaves the forest today in tlic following various 

 described conditions : 



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