NATURAL REGENERATION. 149 



In executing the fellings in this stage special care 

 must be taken to avoid injuring the young growth. 

 The trees must, if necessary, be lopped before felling, 

 and they must be thrown in that direction in which 

 they are likely to do least damage. Fellings should 

 not be made during frost unless deep snow is on 

 the ground, as the young growth is then most brittle. 

 The material must be taken** out of the wood by means 

 which cause a minimum of damage, and, if possible, 

 before the next growing season commences. 



If, after the removal of the last shelter-trees, blanks 

 of appreciable extent exist, they must be artificially 

 filled up by planting strong plants on them, and in 

 some cases perhaps by sowings. 



d. Marking the Trees j or Removal. 



What has been said above shows clearly that the 

 success of natural regeneration by seed under a shelter- 

 wood chiefly depends on a suitable composition of the 

 latter during the several stages of the regeneration 

 period; in other words, on a careful selection of the 

 trees to be removed. This must be carried out when the 

 effect of the removal of a portion of the trees can be best 

 judged, namely when the wood is in leaf. In the case of 

 evergreen species the marking can be done at any time, 

 but in woods containing deciduous species, the marking 

 must be done in summer or early autumn before the 

 leaf-fall. In carrying out the marking, only a narrow 

 strip should be taken in hand at a time, and the business 

 should be supervised by a competent and responsible 

 person. 



