THE ANNUAL COUPE. 213 



If the annual returns are to be equal in volume, and the 

 quality of the locality is the same throughout, then all age 

 gradations must be of the same extent ; if different qualities 

 occur, the areas of the coupes must be in inverse proportion 

 to the quality of the locality. A series of age gradations so 

 arranged is called a normal working section. This subject 

 will be again dealt with further on. For the present it is 

 assumed that the quality of locality is the same throughout. 

 The questions then are : 



(1) What is the area to be cut annually under the different 



methods of treatment ? 



(2) What is the size, or extent, of the age classes ? and 



(3) How should the age classes be distributed over the 



forest? 



1. The Annual Coupe, or the Area to be cut annually. 



This differs according to the method of treatment. (For a 

 description of the latter, see page 203 of Volume I.) 



a. Coppice and Coppice ivith Standards. 



The annual coupe is determined by dividing the total area 

 of the forest, or working section, by the number of years in the 

 rotation : 



Let total area = A 

 Eotation of the coppice = r, 



then the annual cutting area c = . This holds good for the 



coppice with standards system, because the annual cutting 

 area is governed by the coppice only. 



#. Clear Cutting in High Forest. 

 Here is again: 



if each clearing is at once restocked. Frequently it happens, 



