104 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



Sites IV and V in the Pacific States, and it is only the limited range of 

 Douglas fir and the lack of sufficient study of these other species that 

 gives the impression that these poorer sites are lacking. 



E. J. Hanzlik, 



Forest Examiner. 

 Olympia, Wash. 



Sandy Ridge Improvement Cutting. 



The Sandy Ridge improvement cutting in the Mont Alto State 

 forest was made during the summer of 1912. It may be classified as a 

 grade C thinning, but it was actually a combined thinning, salvage, and 

 liberation cutting. The cutting was very heavy locally on account of 

 the large percentage of defective trees and worthless species. Many of 

 the removed trees were fire-scarred at the base, and attacked by fungi, 

 particularly saprophytic species. The subjoined data will show the 

 condition of the stand before and after the cutting operation 



Before cutting After cutting 



(1912) (1912) 1915 



Number of trees per acre 483 291 291 



(3 inches and over.) 



Sectional area per acre (sq. ft.) 102.08 67.32 73.78 



Form height factor (cords) .31 .32 .325 



Total yield (cords) 31.6 21.5 24 



Average diameter (inches) 6 . 25 6.75 7 . 25 



Age (years) 36 36 39 



Height (feet) 51.5 51.5 52.5 



Before the cutting operation chestnut and rock oak comprised 48 

 and 24 per cent, respectively, of the number of trees. After the cutting 

 they comprised 68 and 20 per cent, respectively. 



Black girni, red maple, sassafras, scrub oak and shad bush were the 

 principal worthless species that were removed to improve the composi- 

 tion of the stand. In addition, dead, suppressed, crooked, forked, 

 stagheaded, decapitated, and diseased trees were removed. 



The material obtained from the cutting operation consisted of cord- 

 wood, telephone poles, posts, bean poles, and pea brush. The cordwood 

 (42.54 cords) was sold at an average price of $1.40 per cord in the woods. 



The cutting was done by a class of students in charge of a skilled 

 and regularly employed woodsman at an average cost of $1.25 per cord. 



The brush was not piled but scattered broadcast, and has now prac- 

 tically all rotted. A dense undergrowth, consisting chiefly of tolerant 

 species such as red maple and rock oak, appeared immediately after the 

 cutting, and is helping to maintain and probably to improve the pro- 

 ductive capacity of the soil. 



