DESCRIPTION OF COMPARTMENTS. 261 



compartments or woods may be ascertained with the plani meter, 

 or a network of squares, each of which represents a fixed area. 



Whenever practical the survey should be based upon a 

 previous triangulation. 



The preparation of the maps will be dealt with in the last 

 section of this chapter. Frequently general maps of the area, 

 are already available. If they are on a sufficiently large scale 

 and reliable, only the additional details required for the 

 management of the forest need be added. 



SECTION II. DESCRIPTION OF EACH WOOD OR COMPARTMENT. 



The description of each wood, compartment, or other unit 

 of working, is of the first importance, because it gives informa- 

 tion on which depends the whole management, viz. : 



(1) The selection of species to be grown in the future. 



(2) The method of treatment of each wood and the deter- 



mination of the rotation. 



(3) The degree of ripeness of each wood. 



{4) The yield capacity of each wood and of the whole forest. 



The minuteness of the investigation depends on the value 

 of the forest and the intensity of management. Where these 

 are high, a detailed examination and record are called for ; 

 where the returns are likely to be small, a summary procedure 

 may be indicated. The forester must in each case determine 

 the actual procedure which he considers to be in keeping 

 with the interests of the owner of the forest. 



1. The Locality. 



By locality is understood the soil (and subsoil) and the 

 climate, which depends on the situation. The agencies which 

 are at work in the soil and the overlying air determine the 

 yield capacity or " quality " of the locality. 



The details regarding locality in relation to forest vegetation 

 will be found in Volume I. of this Manual, pages 104 157. 



