The Subdivision of Forests 191 



Roads, in particular those which serve primarily for the purpose 

 of transporting wood, bear a many-sided relationship to the sub- 

 division of forests. They may be classified, according to their 

 managerial importance, into primary and secondary. The latter 

 may be further classified into those whose position is determined 

 by the lay of the land and those whose direction can be determined 

 only by the objects of management. Roads when properly laid 

 out are almost as permanent as ridges, and as a consequence are of 

 prime im.portance in subdivision work. Carefully graded and 

 well constructed roads ramify through the interior and run along 

 part of the border of Mont Alto State Forest. They were of 

 considerable value in the subdivision work. 



Natural subdivision lines do not always suffice, hence artificial 

 ones must be introduced in order to complete the subdivision. In 

 case of a subdivision of a forest located upon one slope of a 

 ridge, a road or stream is very apt to be found at the bottom of 

 the slope and a road may run along the top. If no road is found 

 there, it will be necessary to cut open a subdivision or compart- 

 ment line along the top of the ridge. At one end of the slope one 

 may find a road which joins with the road running along the base 

 of the slope and also meets the subdivision line running along 

 the top ©f the ridge. At the other end of the slope no existing 

 subdivision lines may be at hand. In this event it will be necessary 

 to cut out a subdivision line extending from the top of the slope to 

 its base. When this is completed, the whole slope will be sur- 

 rounded by the subdivision lines and roads. It may be that the 

 aggregate area of the slope is about 750 acres. It may also have 

 been decided that the average area of a compartment should be 

 about 75 acres, hence it is necessary further to subdivide the slope 

 into about 10 compartments. This may be done by openmg 

 straight and parallel subdivision lines at rather regular intervals 

 along the slope. These should extend from the bottom of the 

 valley to the top of the ridge. The area between two such lines 

 will comprise a compartment. The subdivision lines should pass 

 between and not through forest types and stands. If the width of 

 the slope between the top of the ridge and the valley is more than 

 one mile, then it seems advisable to divide the length of the slope 

 into two parts at about the middle point. Reasons for dividing 



