THE STATE FORESTS OF SAXONY. 29 



remained the basis of his determination. Complicated inquiries 

 into normal and actual increments were not at that time 

 undertaken, and these factors played but a small part in the 

 question of yield. Much more attention was paid to the 

 actual condition of " stands " coming in the IV., V. and VI. 

 age-classes, and these were carefully examined to ascertain 

 whether forest per cent.^ was up to standard. 



Thus during the last eighty or ninety years a system has 

 arisen called the '■'■ Bestandsivirtschafi^'' founded upon the 

 principle of a thorough examination of all the oldest "stands" 

 {Bestdnde) in the forest, and the determination of how much 

 can be cut without disturbing the age-classes if they are nearly 

 normal, and if they are not so what rate of felling in the near 

 future will bring them as near normal as possible. General rules 

 as to what must be cut in the next period of ten years are 

 given to form a basis upon which the forester can build his 

 calculations. They instruct that the following areas are to 

 be chosen in preference to others : — 



I. Silvicultural necessities, i.e. all areas such as severances 

 which are required to shorten "Cutting Series" and allow the 

 formation of wind-proof edges, and so on. 



II. All mature areas that show a lower " forest per cent." 

 ( Weiserprozent) than that laid down as the standard, in so far 

 as it is possible to cut them without interfering with the 

 normal course of " Cutting Series," or causing danger from 

 wind by removing one " stand " sheltering another. 



III. All areas which, although not mature, must be cut in 

 order to meet the requirements of the " Cutting Series." 



Thus if a 6o-year-old "stand" of spruce was found closed 

 in by a 120-year-old "stand" which it was decided to cut, 

 the younger stand would be also felled for the sake of 

 a regular cutting series in future. Although area is made 

 the basis of yield calculations yet volume is not altogether 

 neglected, and in every revision a forecast is made of the total 

 amount of each class of wood (timber, faggots, etc.) which 

 will be produced by the areas it has been decided to cut, and 

 in determining the extent of the areas the quality of the locality 

 and consequently the yield per acre is taken into account and 

 allowed to exert its modifying influence. 



^ Schlich's Manual of Forestry, vol. iii. p. 187. 



