THE NATURAL REGENERATION OF WOODS. 81 
regeneration of woods composed of light-demanding trees. It may 
also be usefully put into practice on steep slopes, the bands when 
run from the base towards the top of the hill forming a convenient 
passage for the transport of the timber. 
Blanks in woods, if of only moderate extent, may frequently be 
restocked by adopting this system, provided the ground is in a 
suitable state for the reception of the seed, which is blown from the 
surrounding trees to the bare surface. 
In countries such as North America, Scandinavia, Russia, etc., 
where one is more concerned with felling the timber of the primeval 
forests than with restocking the ground, all the regeneration that is 
often practised is by means of seed naturally carried from trees 
situated at a great distance from the cleared area. Under such cir- 
cumstances anything approaching to a complete restocking of the 
ground with valuable trees cannot be looked for, as the seeds of the 
best trees, even when assisted by the most favourable winds, can 
only be carried for a few hundred yards. On the other hand, such 
light seeds as those of the birch, poplars, aspen, willows, etc., may 
be borne for many miles, and so it happens that when the conifer- 
ous forests of new countries are felled or burned, their place is taken 
by comparatively valueless trees. 
In the foregoing pages, all the important systems of natural 
regeneration by means of seed have been touched upon. Care has 
been taken to avoid advancing mere theories, attention being entirely 
given to practical methods which have stood the test of long experi- 
ence. There appear to be, however, unsurmountable obstacles in 
the way of any of them being made practically applicable to any 
great extent to British conditions. Natural regeneration is almost 
impossible where ground game is as abundant as it generally is in 
this country. Here, too, there are very few estates where woods are 
managed on a well-organised working plan, that is to say, there does 
not exist, nor can there under the system of private ownership, long 
sustained continuity in the administration of our woodlands. For- 
tunately several circumstances combine to place this country in an 
almost independent position as regards natural renewal. Our humid 
atmosphere does not make the preservation of soil-moisture by con- 
stant shading the paramount consideration which it becomes under 
the conditions of a continental climate, though in our drier districts 
it is still most important. Nowhere are our fertile valleys threat- 
ened by destructive avalanches of snow or earth consequent on 
clear-felling a mountain slope. All parts of the country are in good 
VOL, XIII. PART I. F 
