igS PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 1914 



be foresters, and there are at present twenty-three students. Up to date, 

 64 students have been through the school, and many of them are now holding 

 excellent positions both at home and in the Colonies. 



In a forest which has been perfectly managed for a considerable time there 

 should be a definite area of each age class, from the youngest to the oldest 

 wood. Thus, dealing only with the enclosures of 11,000 acres, there should 

 be, assuming that oak may be considered ripe for the axe at 140 years, 1,571 

 acres aged o to 20, 1,571 aged 21 to 40, and so on to 1,571 acres aged 121 

 to 140 years. When this stage of perfection is reached one can go on cutting 

 1,571 acres of mature oak-wood during each 20-year period. The existing 

 crop in the Dean is far from this state. The 11,000 acres are at present 

 stocked as follows : — 



Blanks 

 Woods : 0-20 years 

 21-40 ,, 

 41-60 ,, 

 61-80 ,, 

 8i-ioo ,, 

 101-120 ,, 

 121-140 ,, 



70 acres 



2,429 

 Nil 

 1,000 



1.353 

 1,864 



4.135 

 149 



11,000 



There is thus an excess of the loi to 120 year woods, and, this being so, 

 the present scheme of management lays down that about 160 acres of the 

 oldest and most badly growing woods are to be cut each year, and these are 

 planted up chiefly with conifers, larch, Douglas fir and spruce preponderating. 



This scheme of manag'ement will shortly be revised. The best soils will 

 be set aside for oak, which will perhaps be grown on a rotation of 140 years, 

 and the balance will be conifers probably on a 70 or 80 year rotation. It 

 is estimated that only about 4,000 acres are really suitable for oak. 



It is an accepted axiom of forestry that good oak cannot be grown without 

 beech. Beech growing below and amongst oak gives a spendid humus, which 

 improves the soil in many ways, to the benefit of the oak. As it grows it 

 kills off side branches of the oak, and hence fine tall clean timber of great 

 value is obtained. The present crop of oak in the Dean is poor (see Plate 

 XIX., fig. i) because of the absence of beech, but in the Highmeadow Woods 

 some very fine oak mixed with beech is to be seen (see Plate XIX., fig. 2). 



For the above reason all the younger oak woods are now being under- 

 planted with beech as fast as it can be obtained. Beech is best introduced under 

 oak at about the fortieth year, and all the 40 to 60 year old woods are being 

 underplanted at present. 



A considerable amount of planting is done each year in the four estates. 

 Last year 167 acres in Dean, 65 in Highmeadow, and 22 acres in Abbotswood 

 were planted, a total of 1,103,000 plants being used. To supply this large 

 number of young trees there are 11 nurseries, with a total area of 20 acres. 

 Practically the whole of the plants are raised from seed sown in these nurseries, 

 very few being bought. 



The bulk of the Forest, made up of its central, western and southern 

 parts, overlies the Coal Measures, and the soil is for the most part a yellow 

 loam, rendered stiff in parts by clay, and occasionally a band of clay takes 

 the place of the loam, or is near the surface. Immediately underlying the loam 

 is a very much broken up rubble sandstone, and under that beds of grey and 

 blue sandstone (Forest of Dean stone) of excellent quality for building pur- 

 poses. Towards the north are found traces of the Millstone Grit, with its 

 coarse pure sand. Outcrops of Carboniferous Limestone occur running 



