CONIFEROUS FOREST TREES IN GREAT BRITAIN. 65 



2. How far the productivity of the species can be increased 



by improved silvicultural treatment. 



3. How far the various insect pests can be reduced to 



manageable limits. 



Full use of the new Forestry Act should be made to eliminate 

 the squirrel as a forest pest. 



Scots pine is a forest tree which should not be viewed solely 

 from the point of view of productivity. Its value as a 

 means of restoring fertility to impoverished forest soils should 

 be remembered. 



In the author's opinion the percentage area under Scots pine 

 should be considerably reduced, but he is convinced that our 

 indigenous conifer will still retain an important place in the 

 forestry of this country. 



Corsican Pine (JPinus Laricid). 



Corsican pine is the maritime variety of Finns Laricio which 

 is found over considerable areas of southern Europe. It has 

 been planted to some extent in Scotland, England, and Ireland. 

 It produces slightly more timber than Scots pine, and gives 

 slightly better results on the poorer and drier soils and more 

 exposed situations. It has given satisfactory results on the 

 poorer sands. On the other hand, the timber does not appear 

 to be so strong or durable as our indigenous pine, nor is the 

 plant so frost-hardy. Its principal disadvantage is the difficulty 

 of transplantation ; it requires to be planted out, either early 

 in the autumn or very late in the spring. The lack of apprecia- 

 tion of this fact probably accounts for many of the failures 

 which foresters have experienced. Sir John Stirling-Maxwell's 

 experience suggests that it is specially sensitive to the drying 

 of the root fibres. This species has not been sufficiently 

 widely planted to enable a final conclusion regarding it to be 

 reached. Experiments are needed to determine its suitability 

 to different conditions, its productivity, the strength and dura- 

 bility of its timber, and the best methods of establishing and 

 tending it. 



Weymouth Pine (Finns strobus and Pinus monticold). 



This is the white pine of North America. Two species have 

 been planted in this country, Pinus strobus, the white pine of 

 the north-eastern region, and Pinus monticola, the white pine 



VOL. XXXIV. PART I. E 



