174 SYLVICULTURAL NOTES ON 



Cembra) is very hardy in exposed situations and may be used 

 as a shelter belt, but it is of slow growth. 



None of these species will produce paying timber, except 

 possibly Pimis insignis. 



THE SPRUCES 

 The Common or Norway spruce (Picea excelsa). 



A native of Europe, it was introduced into Great Britain 

 about 1548. In Europe it is a tree of the mountains requiring 

 but little warmth, and in England it seems to succeed well in 

 high lying exposed places ; north and east aspects being the 

 best. It grows far better in Scotland than in England. It 

 is fairly frost-hardy, but is very sensitive to drought, and does 

 best where both the air and soil are moist. It is easily blown 

 over by gales, and is the least storm-firm of all British forest 

 trees when grown in woods, but trees grown in the open have 

 roots which spread to a great distance and are fairly storm- 

 firm. It bears a light shade, but to do well it must be grown 

 fully exposed to light ; it does not appear to bear as much 

 shade in Great Britain as it does on the Continent. It is fairly 

 accommodating as to soil provided that there is sufficient 

 moisture, and it will succeed on shallow soils as it has not 

 got deep-going roots. It does best on fresh or moist loams, 

 and on such a soil produces the best class of timber, but it 

 will succeed fairly well on moist sands and on clayey soils. 



It is a slow grower for the first few years, but when once it 

 starts growing, at about the tenth year, it continues to grow 

 at a very rapid rate. 



It is suitable for pure woods as it is a soil-improving species, 

 but it is better to grow it in mixture as a subordinate species 

 with more valuable trees such as larch or Scotch pine in 

 groups. It is not very suitable for underplanting, though 

 it can be used in the more open spaces for this purpose. It 

 should be planted closely, at a not greater distance than 



