160 SYLVICULTURAL NOTES ON 



fifteen to twenty years where there is a demand for hop-poles, 

 or for split chestnut fencing material. It deserves more 

 attention as an underwood tree than it has yet received in 

 England. With regard to thinnings, these should be made 

 in the same manner as for oak. Insects and fungi do but 

 little damage. 



Sycamore or Great Maple (Acer pseudo-platanus). 



A native of Central Europe and Western Asia, it was intro- 

 duced into Great Britain during the fifteenth century. It 

 is a tree of the hills and withstands strong winds well. It is 

 rather tender to late frosts. It stands half-way between light- 

 demanders and shade-bearers, and to do well as high forest 

 requires a full amount of light. As coppice it will stand a 

 fair amount of shade, and it can be used for underplanting the 

 more open spaces in oak, ash, and larch woods. It requires 

 a deep, fertile, fresh soil to do well, but it will grow on most 

 kinds of soil provided there is a good depth. Some lime in 

 the soil is advantageous. It grows well from seed, and its 

 natural regeneration is easy. It coppices well when cut for 

 the first time, but the stools do not last long. It can be 

 grown as high forest, standards-over-coppice, or as coppice, 

 and is best grown in high forest in groups mixed with other 

 species, especially beech. It should be given plenty of space 

 when its height growth begins to fall off. It is a rapid grower, 

 and produces a tall clean stem if grown in crowded woods. 

 It reaches maturity at from eighty to one hundred years. 

 Large timber usually sells well, but small trees are of small 

 value. Insects and fungi do but little damage. The fungus 

 Rhytisma acerina causes the black spots found on the leaves. 



The Norway Maple (Acer platanoides). 



Has much the same sylvicultural characteristics as the 

 sycamore, but thrives further north. It is more a tree of the 

 plains than of the hills, and is specially suitable for planting 

 near the sea. It suffers less from late frosts, and is not so 



