140 FOREST PLANTING. 



plan of thinning, pruning and felling, the productive 

 capacity of the forests, and 



(c) To restock the denuded woodlands by seeding or 

 planting such trees as are most desired and best adapted 

 to soil, climate and location. 



In particular, the labors to be performed during the 

 first four or five years would consist of the following : 



(1) A surveyor accompanied by an expert on soils and 

 woods should first survey the whole tract, and then, under 

 the advice of the expert, mark off and map out such sub- 

 divisions as are indicated by diversity of soil, tree-growth 

 and other conditions affecting the production and 

 development of forest-trees. 



(2) Then the best plan of laying out roads and ave- 

 nues, which will have to be constructed for the transpor- 

 tation of timber and other wood products, has to be 

 deliberately considered. This is one of the most import- 

 ant works for the future management f the woods. It 

 should be entrusted only to a person who is theoretically 

 and practically fully conversant with such operations. For 

 it is not sufficient to lay out one or more roads to satisfy 

 the transient and local wants which have chanced to 

 spring up; but the entire interests of the forest in its 

 present and future condition as well as those of its envi- 

 rons have to be looked after, and a road system has to be 

 devised which, although not yet fully required, will be 

 necessary in the future when the woods are more developed, 

 and the time arrives that the wood products will be 

 utilized to their fullest extent. 



(3) A wooded region to be taken in hand, and to be 

 worked systematically, should after the completion of the 

 operations indicated in 1 and 2, be laid out in districts con- 

 taining from 100,000 to 1 50,000 acres, and subdivided in 

 smaller ones of from 10 to 20,000 acres. While the whole 

 tract would be supervised by one Over-forester, the subdivi- 

 sions should be under the continual care and attention of 



