Conversion Methods 601 



consider progress to be too slow in Canada or the United States. 

 Prior to 1724 this forest was under no regular system of manage- 

 ment, except that it was protected against destruction by over- 

 cutting. It was then divided into 20 cutting series and managed 

 as coppice under standards on a rotation of 30 years. The 

 necessity for a greater quantity of large timber becoming ap- 

 parent, and the belief gaining ground that the State should aim 

 to produce high forest rather than coppice, it was decided, in 1766, 

 that 5 felHng series would be treated as high forest on a rotation 

 of 100 years. This was not done, however, and the 30-year 

 rotation was maintained. A further attempt was made in 1824 

 to increase the proportion of high forest by reserving portions of 

 four felling series to stand over through four rotations. It was 

 believed then and for many years after that high forest could be 

 satisfactorily created by clear-cutting the coppice and leaving 

 the standards. The resultant high forest consisted of the stand- 

 ards, seedlings produced from them, and coppice shoots which came 

 up with the seedlings, and in many cases where thinning operations 

 were not carried out, crowded out the seedlings. 



The experiment carried out in this manner 100 years ago in the 

 forest of Chaux is not considered to have produced satisfactory 

 results. The seedling growth was not so plentiful as was expected, 

 the coppice growth was particularly vigorous and suppressed 

 many of the seedlings. The resultant forest lost both in produc- 

 tivity and in regenerating power by containing too large a propor- 

 tion of standards of coppice origin. 



French foresters have in recent years devoted much study to the 

 most profitable manner of converting coppice to standards. 

 The system now adopted in such a forest as Chaux, where coppice is 

 being converted to high forest of the same species, is to allow the 

 coppice to grow untouched for the period of one rotation. The 

 effect of this is to weaken the coppice stools and prevent as far as 

 possible the production of another crop of vigorous shoots which 

 would interfere with or suppress the seedlings. 



Strong coppice shoots are also produced which may be held 

 over as seed bearers. 



At the end of the first period of 30 years the coppice is opened 

 up for a regeneration felling as may be necessary tmder the local 

 conditions to secure the desired seedling growth. In the beech 

 and oak forests the regeneration fellings are confined chiefly 



