FOREST TREE PLANTING CAMPS 401 



comprehended from the following description of four sample acres, 

 each representative of a distinctive type of growth : 



Acre I. — Comprised 24,792 specimens of trembling aspen (1 to 

 15 feet high). 2(i4 fire cherry, a few scattered specimens of other 

 hard woods, and a sparse growth of bracken fern, sweet fern, and 

 briars. 



Acre II. — Comprised 2,900 specimens of fire cherry and 1,600 

 trembling aspens mostly from 5 to 15 feet in height, scattered speci- 

 mens of other hardwoods, and a moderate growth of sweet fern, 

 bracken fern, and briars. 



Acre III. — Comprised a decidedly scattered growth of bird 

 cherry and aspen, and irregularly distributed groups of chestnut, black 

 locust, red maple, sugar maple, and beech coppice. A dense growth 

 of bracken fern, sweet fern, and briars covered the ground. 



Acre IV. — 'Covered by a rather dense, but interrupted, polewood- 

 size growth of very inferior hardwoods, with a very limited sprinkling 

 of white, red, and pitch pine. 



The number of trees set out on the above planting site averaged 

 987 per acre, which indicates an average spacing distance of about 

 6^ by 6^ feet. The presence of such a variable growth necessitates 

 the use of an adjustable spacing distance. Wherever no tree growth 

 was present and the ground vegetation dense, the trees were spaced 

 4 by 4 to 5 by 5 feet, and upon the areas possessing a scattered growth 

 of trees and a moderately dense ground vegetation the spacing was 

 extended to 6 by 6 or 7 by 7 feet, while on a relatively small acreage 

 with a rather dense tree growth, comprising some valuable species, 

 and a sparse ground cover of vegetation the spacing was still further 

 extended to 8 by 8 or even 10 by 10 feet. The average spacing 

 distance on the 2,387.2 acres planted from camps during the spring 

 of 1916 was a little over 6 by 6 feet. 



In spite of the interfering growth present upon practically all the 

 planting sites, the cost of planting was kept down to a commendably 

 low figure, which bespeaks an efficient organization of the entire 

 planting operation of which the camp was a vital part. In the future, 

 forest tree-planting camps will be operated more extensively than in 

 the past, for experience has already proved the following chief ad- 

 vantages : 



1. The planting is accomplished at a lower cost. Immediately after 

 planting, records are made and filed for each plantation established. 



