576 Forestry Quarterly 



would be found in the opportunity given young trees to grow up 

 under better conditions than ever before known for the region. 



It has been sufficiently indicated elsewhere that trees severely 

 suppressed by mistletoe are not fit for reseeding the area. In 

 leaving uninfected trees a big advantage is gained in building 

 up the health of the forest. In many cases it will be foimd that 

 nothing less than clean cutting will be sufficient to eliminate the 

 mistletoe. This also opens up the problem of what to do with 

 the young infected forest growth. Mistletoe attacks all age 

 classes from seedlings to mature trees. A large amount of young 

 stuff when infected, in so far as being a menace to the future health 

 of the forest, is just as serious as the larger diameter classes. 

 When the younger age classes are infected on the main stem, the 

 increment is very early affected and they seldom, if ever, attain a 

 merchantable size. Since the relative cost of handling a tree 

 rapidly increases with decrease in diameter, it is an open question 

 what procedure to follow in ridding the sale areas of this infected 

 material. Clean cutting followed by clean bviming may be a 

 drastic method in most cases, but this, however, will be better 

 than taking chances with infected young growth and misshapen 

 and stagheaded trees for reseeding. Furthermore, artificial 

 forestation could be employed. 



Naturally a great deal of this work must be considered in the 

 light of an experiment. That it will prove successful under some 

 conditions is shown by what has already been accomplished in 

 some regions. It will mean, of course, that the marker must 

 become thoroughly familiar with the appearance of mistletoe 

 injury and be able to act with judgment under all conditions. 



In a work as new as the control of forest tree diseases in the 

 National Forests, it is expected that mistakes will be made. It 

 is often said, however, that he who makes no mistakes never ac- 

 complishes anything and it is as true when applied to the further- 

 ance of the principles of forest sanitation as for anything else. 

 Improving the health of the forest is business first and last. It is 

 not a matter of sentiment. When the practical forester and the 

 purchaser get together on forest protection, whether it is pro- 

 tection from fire or protection from fungi and mistletoe, then we 

 may expect a fuller realization of the value of strict sanitary 

 measures. 



