244 THE FORESTS OF PRINCE GEORGe's COUNTY 



woodlot, where a relatively small area is required to produce a con- 

 tinuous supply of fuel, fencing and building material, the selection 

 system of management is the most practical. Under this method 

 the farmer "selects" and removes, from time to time, such trees as 

 he may require for immediate needs. The success of the sj'stem will 

 depend upon the selection of the trees for cutting and the measures 

 taken to secure a good reproduction of desirable species. The main 

 principles involved are: (1) Cut trees as soon after they reach 

 maturity, or as soon thereafter as they can be used to advantage, in 

 order to give needed room for young growth that is required to 

 restore the forest. (2) When cutting for fire wood, stakes, etc., cut 

 out the dead wood, the crooked and undesirable trees, to give every 

 advantage to the young, thrifty trees of the desirable species that 

 are intended for the permanent stand. (3) Be careful not to create 

 large openings where no reproduction has started. 



Where there is a fully stocked young stand to work with, it is 

 usually not a difficult matter to mould it into a forest of excellent 

 form. Whenever the trees of the desirable species are being too 

 severely crowded by inferior ones, the latter should be cut out. This 

 combined thinning and improvement cutting should be repeated every 

 few years until the stand attains its height gro\\1;h, when the trees 

 left will be allowed to remain until maturity. 



Where the forest has been abused by excessive and injudicious 

 cutting, and perhaps injured repeatedly by fire, the first considera- 

 tion should be to get the stand as fully stocked as possible. This 

 may often be accomplished by natural seeding, if the woodland is 

 protected from fire ; and cattle, sheep and hogs are excluded. Where 

 the present stand consists of only scattering trees of undesirable 

 species, and where there is not a sufficient number of seed trees of 

 the desirable kind to seed the land, it will probably be the best plan 

 to cut the woods clean and plant with the kinds of trees it is desired 

 to grow. In the case of a woodlot where clear cutting of the whole 

 area would entirely cut the supply of wood for the farm, the area 

 may be cut off a few acres at a time, the operations extending over 

 a number of years, so as to have a rotation of timber crops. 



