106 Forestry Quarterly 



The question whether to propagate spruce in the warmer 

 situations than its optimum is a most important one. The success 

 in this respect in Switzerland is phenomenal if compared with 

 German results. Stands with an annual increment of 430 cubic 

 feet between 30 and 40 years of age have been recorded, and the 

 average of measurements in the hill country, shows a culmina- 

 tion of average increment on I site with 408 cubic feet in the 30th 

 year, on II site with 326 cubic feet; even the poorest site shows 

 at 60 years an average of 130 cubic feet. 



Nevertheless, after the 60th year these remarkable rates collapse, 

 the stands open and undergrowth appears, rot starts; hence after 

 all, in these sites pure spruce stands are undesirable and the species 

 must become merely an admixture. 



Fir also finds favorable sites, but occurs more rarely in pure 

 stands. In the city forests of Biel at 850 m a stand with a basal 

 area of 297 square feet and 13,320 cubic feet, 23 inch average 

 diameter at 140 years is cited. The adaptation to the warmer 

 sites together with the ease of propagation, that fir improves the 

 soil, is not liable to damage, can utilize the light for increased 

 increment, is a first-class producer, and adapted to mixed forest, 

 leads the author to formulate the silvicultural policy to aim at 

 mixed fir-spruce-beech growth with the fir predominant in the 

 milder, the spruce in the cooler situations. Especially for selec- 

 tion forest, the fir is most fit. 



Larch — a sound one 800 years old is mentioned — finds its best 

 site between 1200 and 1800 m, although it goes over 2400 m, 

 where, however, it would take at least 200 years to make a 16- 

 inch tree. Pinus cembra, a timberline tree, hardly occurs in dense 

 forest; its resistance against the ills of organic and inorganic 

 nature, in which it excels all other species, and its valuable wood 

 make it valuable in these high elevations, also as bulwark against 



avalanches. 



Of Scotch pine more is found than one would expect, up to 



1700 m. It is the best species for afforestation of moimtain wastes 

 and sunny heads and slopes. 



Beech is mainly valuable in mixing with the conifers and as 

 soil improver. Lately, its technological use has increased. Its 

 silviculture in the mild situations is easier than in most parts of 

 Germany, due to absence of frost and greater tolerance in the 

 humid climate. The other broadleaf trees are of minor impor- 

 tance. 



