334 Forestry Quarterly. 



rather a cross between it and the selection system — what the 

 Germans call "Femelschlagbetrieb." Indeed, the boundary be- 

 tween shelterwood and selection systems is often indistinguish- 

 able on the ground. Nor is it possible in the field to distinguish 

 each of the various cuttings — Preparatory, Seed, First Removal, 

 Second Removal, Final Removal, etc. as given in the text books 

 on silviculture. Rather these grade imperceptibly one into the 

 other as occasion warrants. The result is a rather ragged, ir- 

 regular reproduction for the first few years after the mature 

 trees are removed but as soon as the stand closes, these irregulari- 

 ties vanish and, in the polewood stage, it is hard to believe that 

 the component parts often exhibit an age difference of twenty or 

 thirty or even more years- 



While, therefore, not strictly even-aged as the term is usually 

 construed, the resulting stands are so uniform as to be subject 

 to almost the full effect of wind and storm; a point worth re- 

 membering when the advantages of the various systems are con- 

 trasted. 



It is by this method that the virgin stands of the Baden Black 

 Forest have been regenerated and no one who has seen the re- 

 sulting, uniform, well-developed stands can help marvel at the 

 skill of these old-time foresters whose only silvicultural tool was 

 the axe, and who mastered the enormous difficulties of naturally 

 regenerating virgin stands. Even to-day with all the areas of 

 windfall to be replanted, the amount of fail places is so small 

 that the total cost of plantings in the Baden Black Forest is 

 only 19I cents per acre per annum. 



The trees are marked in almost exactly the same manner as 

 prescribed in timber sales of the United States Forest Serv- 

 ice, i.e. the tree is lightly blazed at breast height and blazed 

 through to the wood and stamped with the government mark at 

 the base. Under this system of silviculture the choice of trees 

 to be removed is of the highest importance and is made usually 

 by or under the direct supervision of the forest officer in charge. 

 As the stand is gradually opened up, first beech, then fir, then 

 spruce come in ; for this is the order of their respective tolerance. 

 Ordinarily of course all the largest trees are removed first so 

 as to minimize the injury to the young growth when the re- 



