CONIFEROUS FOREST TREES IN GREAT BRITAIN. 67 



layers of cork frequently causes malformation of the stem and 

 deep wounds which often remain visible for a long time. Young 

 trees and the younger parts of old trees are attacked. The 

 young trees are in many cases killed, and although many 

 recover there is a permanent injury to the timber, owing to 

 the scars and malformation. From the evidence of the timber 

 in our older larch woods and from local information, it is fairly 

 certain that this disease did not become a serious danger in 

 some parts of this country until towards the middle of last 

 century. There does not appear to be any remedy other than 

 through the silvicultural treatment of the species, and this will 

 now be considered. 



There is a large area of afforestable land in this country. 

 Besides assisting allied industries, it is the task of forestry to 

 use the available forest trees first of all to obtain the maximum 

 production or quality of timber from the forest land, and secondly, 

 to maintain and, if possible, to increase its fertility. Larch is a 

 specially interesting species, for, on one hand, the value and 

 utility of its timber make it desirable to plant it as widely as 

 possible, while, on the other hand, its liability to canker makes it 

 necessary to choose its location wisely and to tend it with care. 

 Further, owing to its having a light canopy, it tends to exhaust 

 the soil, hence one of its most important silvicultural problems is 

 how to grow it without deteriorating the soil. 



Unlike Scots pine, larch is not a suitable forest tree on 

 moraines. It may grow fast, but, especially on the second 

 rotation, it rarely remains sound beyond middle life. This 

 species does well on a fertile sandy loam derived from schists, 

 slates, and some shales. It frequently gives remarkable results 

 on very rocky soils. Although larch will not give good results 

 on water-logged soil, a continuous and abundant supply of water 

 during the growing season appears to be necessary for rapid 

 growth. This, in part, probably explains its remarkable growth 

 in many places on the west coast from Devon to Ross-shire, 

 e.g. at Braemore in Ross-shire a height of 70-80 feet has been 

 attained in 50 years at an elevation of 400-500 feet above the 

 bottom of the valley. Very dry slopes generally necessitate 

 a short rotation for this species. Larch has attained a 

 large size in well-sheltered positions at low elevations, e.g. in 

 such places around Dunkeld it has attained 120 feet in height 

 in about 80 years. Such rapidity of growth in a naturally 



