292 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
XVII. Mr H.C. Hill on the Forest of Dean. By Colonel Barney. 
In July 1897 Mr H. C. Hill submitted to the Commissioners 
of Woods and Forests two reports relating to the management 
of the Forest of Dean; some points in these reports will be 
extracted in the following note :— 
WorkKING-PLAN Report ror THE High Mrapow Woops. 
These woods, covering an area of 3285 acres, were purchased 
by the Crown between the years 1817 and 1824. Regarding the 
composition and condition of the crop, it is stated that ‘ while 
two-thirds of the area consisted of old woods, the remaining one- 
third, or 1000 acres, more or less, were planted between the years 
1825 and 1850, and are now therefore aged from forty-seven to 
seventy-two years. 
“The planted areas are still readily distinguishable by the 
regular rows of oaks, often of but mediocre or poor growth, and 
an underwood of hazel only, or of mixed ash and hazel. So far 
as is known, the original planting was done with a mixture of 
larch, Scots pine, and oak, and reports refer to a vigorous growth 
of the oak due to the larch and pine nurses, such as might have 
been looked for. That vigorous growth, however, was not long 
maintained, and one of two things happened. Either, with a 
view to more branching oaks, the nurses were removed too soon 
and the oaks isolated, or, what is perhaps more probable, the 
nurses were allowed to overtop the oaks and to dominate them 
for a time before being removed, and at the time of their removal 
the oaks were heavily thinned. This would well account for the 
stunted growth of the planted oaks in Marian’s Wood, for instance. 
The proper course would have been to remove the larch and pine 
only gradually as they overtopped the oaks, and to have intro- 
duced an underwood of beech, instead of trusting to self-sown 
hazel, before thinning the oaks ab all. 
‘“‘The old woods are fairly complete, but they are irregular in 
their composition. Speaking generally, they are composed of 
oaks from middle-aged to mature, and some younger oaks, ash, 
and larch standing over a coppice of beech, hazel, ash, lime, wych 
elm, etc., in which many oaks have been planted, and recently 
some larch also.” 
On the subject of the past and present system of management, 
