42 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH A RBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



timber receiving from 18s. to 20s. a week In order to avoid loss 

 of time in going to ami from work, the building and furnishing 

 of suitable bothies near some of the more remote woods has 

 been undertaken. 



FUTURE MANAGEMENT. 



In the future, as in the past, the main object of management 

 will be the production of timber grown in High Forest ; and the 

 treatment of the growing woods in all stages will be regulated by a 

 desire to develop a final crop consisting of fine healthy trees in 

 large numbers, so that the timber may be of first quality, and that 

 the crop as a whole may realise the highest possible price per acre. 



In all forest management, it is important to place upon the 

 market annually, or at regular intervals, an approximately ecpial 

 supply of timber. Were these woods in full bearing, a regularly 

 graduated series of age-classes being on the ground, it would be 

 easy to make provision for annual cuttings which would yield such 

 an out-turn permanently from the present time. Such, however, is 

 by no means the position, as may be seen by a glance at the 

 abstract given on p. 27. There are 924 acres of " older " 

 woods, ranging in age from 47 to 122 years, and 1819 acres of 

 "younger" woods, the oldest of which is only 19 years of age; 

 crops between 20 and 46 years old are absent, and 989 acres of 

 ground are unstocked. As regards the younger woods, which con- 

 sist mainly of Scots fir, the age at which they will be cut need not 

 be prescribed now; but there is little doubt that a rotation of 80 

 years will ultimately be decided on, as this is financially the most 

 favourable age, while on other grounds it is in every way suitable. 

 Assuming that 80 years will be fixed as the age for felling, it follows 

 that a period of 61 years must elapse before the first crop from 

 the oldest of the younger woods will be available for the market. 

 But in view of the present age and condition of the older woods, it 

 is not possible to extend the cutting of them over so long a period 

 as 61 years; they must be felled much earlier, and 25 years has 

 been fixed upon as the limit of time within which they should 

 disappear. Hence 25 years is the period for which the present 

 Plan provides. The average annual out-turn during the past five 

 years has been 107,000 cubic feet, but the arrangement of fellings 

 now proposed will reduce it to about 52,000 cubic feet. 



When the last of the older crops has been removed, the oldest 

 of the younger woods will still be 36 years below felling age 



