Standardisafion of Instruction. 353 



would be sufficient to cover not only the botanical study of the 

 species as outlined above, but general forest geography of the 

 country. If the course includes also the silvical characteristics 

 probably the time should be increased by at least 10 hours. 



Silviculture, Including Silvics. 



Silviculture, — comprising the establishment, care, and develop- 

 ment of forests, — must rest on a solid foundation of the natural 

 sciences. The contents of a course on Silviculture may be con- 

 veniently divided into three parts : the study of the forest as a 

 society of trees which is the unit with which silviculture deals — 

 Silvics ; the study of the general methods of natural reproduction 

 and care of forests ; artificial reproduction of forests. 



Silvics, or the study of forest ecology,* concerns itself with 

 such biological characteristics of species not only but of stands of 

 trees, as are of basic importance in the application of silviculture. 

 And as these characteristics are shown in reaction to the en- 

 vironment, the factors of site, including not only soil, but tempera- 

 ture, moisture, light and other atmospheric agencies, the relation 

 of these to tree and forest development needs a broad treatment, 

 for this knowledge forms the foundation of silviculture. 



A clear dififerentiation and definition of dendrology, general 

 ecology and silvics or forest ecology on the one hand, and of 

 arboriculture and silviculture on the other hand is desirable at the 

 outset ; also a discussion of the relation of silviculture to other 

 branches of forestry. It should be accentuated that not the single 

 tree but the tree society, the stand, is the silvicultural unit, and 

 the behavior in association the important direction of study. 



The silvicultural characteristics of trees are their specific re- 

 quirements for existence on soil and climate and hence their 

 natural distribution ; their natural form ; their rate of growth and 

 development, and their length of life ; the peculiarities in their 

 reproduction : their resistance to adverse factors, and their re- 

 cuperative power. Each of these characteristics is subject to 

 variation under diflferent environment ; and these variations 

 should be discussed under each of the heads enumerated. There 

 may also be discussed under each head the methods of measuring 

 and expressing the silvical characteristics. 



*Which would be the better name! 



