22 North American Forests and Forestry 



vigorously, and in course of time may even die. If 

 they are of the shade-enduring kind, they have, of 

 course, a better chance to survive than if they were 

 light-lovers. In such a case they may even suc- 

 ceed, after a while, in their turn, in overtopping the 

 first victor, because that ceased to grow much in 

 height when the spreading of the branches began. 

 But generally the tree which has once been over- 

 topped by its neighbor never grows into a very 

 large and vigorous specimen, but joins the ranks 

 of the suppressed, which the skilful forester cuts 

 out sooner or later to make room for their betters. 



Not only do whole trees languish and die when 

 they are overshadowed by others, but every branch 

 shares the same fate if at any period of its life it is 

 deprived of the free access of light, either by other 

 branches of its own tree, or by neighboring trees. 

 Where the trees stand close together, this happens 

 to all the lower branches, which usually die and 

 fall off during the first few years of their lives, so 

 that not only are few side branches produced, but 

 what few there are soon disappear again. Trees 

 so grown consequently show tall trunks with only 

 a few branches towards the top. 



Now it happens that the quality of lumber cut 

 from trees with tall stems is very much better than 

 that produced by trees where the branches are 

 many and reach far down the trunk, for every 

 branch means a knot in the lumber. Conse- 

 quently the forester who desires good lumber 

 aims to make his trees tall and with as few 



