342 Forestry Quarterly. 



because of scanty soil and partly because of the shorter growing 

 season) demands a very careful Selection System. In practice, 

 only the oldest, most merchantable or decadent individuals are 

 removed so as to liberate the young growth. Every precaution 

 is taken to retain the cover unbroken in order to prevent rock 

 slides, avalanches and windfall. Finally only such material is 

 taken which can be removed at an actual profit. 



(3) Productive forest From the standpoint of profitable 

 management, this is the true forest. Even here cliffs and preci- 

 pices occur and here too precautions must be taken to prevent 

 too large openings in the stand. Nevertheless, a Shelterwood 

 System of Cutting is not appropriate not even as used in Baden ;* 

 for profitable lumbering on such steep mountain slopes requires 

 a concentration of the cuttings. But even if it were economically 

 practicable, the Shelterwood Cutting to pay at all would neces- 

 sitate a degree of cutting which would expose the remaining trees 

 to almost certain windfall; furthermore, on such steep slopes the 

 subsequent logging of the remaining stand would destroy most of 

 the reproduction already secured or, at least, render it valueless 

 as the basis of the new stand. 



Extensive Clear Cutting is out of the question, in view of 

 past experiences. Formerly, on account of readier accessibility 

 and in part because of not spreading the cuttings over a suf- 

 ficient area, ( Cutting Series ! ) large bodies were cut over with 

 temporary reserve of the usually worthless, inferior material as a 

 protection and to scatter seeds. Each year's cutting usually joined 

 on to that of the previous year. The cut-over areas were generally 

 sown broadcast with spruce and, in part, with larch seed, some 

 immediately after logging was completed, some several years later 

 when natural regeneration failed. The brush was not scattered. 

 , Plantations were rare, often made only with natural (wild) stock. 

 The result of this extensive, practically clear cutting was that the 

 areas were largely given over to grass and weeds against which 

 the oftentimes scanty or tardy seeding could not prevail. Where 

 regeneration did follow, the protection of the remaining "scrubs" 

 was often entirely insufficient ; snow, wind, game and cattle each 

 demanded their toll and these areas have in large part had to 

 be replanted at great expense. 



* See Article VI of the Series, subheading I, B, the Baden practice. 



