Situation of Technical Forester 65 



cupations of the silviculturist, and he does not take account of 

 the fact that it is by what is designated under the name of cul- 

 tural operations that the forester acts on the development of 

 the forest. By cultural operations it is necessary to understand 

 in the general sense of the term all the operations which have 

 to be repeated at the different stages in the development of a 

 forest stand to make it in the last analysis a forest, healthy, 

 strong, growing well, containing trees of value and beauty at the 

 same time. These operations will vary, it goes without saying, 

 with the age of the stands to be treated. There are particularly 

 the fellings which are to take out progressively all the poor trees 

 or those of defective form. They ought to favor the growth 

 and development of the most beautiful and most valuable trees. 

 These selections ought to keep as a constant aim the favoring of 

 the best subjects, thus practising natural selection. In well 

 administered forests these operations commence in the early 

 youth of the stands even under the cover of the old stands still 

 in place. Then come the thinnings which are repeated periodi- 

 cally and increasing in intensity up to the moment of the re- 

 generation of the old stand. Everything ought to be done with 

 constant care to increase the production of wood and to have it 

 in the most valuable trees. 



These operations which ought to be carried on by a competent 

 staff require on the part of the managing silviculturist incessant 

 action. The cultural operations under their diverse forms con- 

 stitute the most efficacious action of the forester upon the forest. 

 They are also and very much so the most interesting part. It is 

 by them that he can model in some sort the woods to his taste 

 and on them imprint his own work. This is also the criterion 

 by which in the administration the standing and the abilities of 

 the manager can best be judged. 



In many of our forest administrations silviculturists in office 

 without interruption for twenty, thirty, forty years, have had 

 thus the chance of being able to fashion their forests toward the 

 ideal which they have set for themselves. Of all that, which is 

 the essence of the work of the forester, the uninitiated has 

 scarcely an idea. 



