WORKING PLANS 



Working circles. 



A working circle is a wood, or part of a wood, which, at the 

 end of the rotation, will contain a complete series of age 

 classes. Thus, in a wood with a total area of 500 acres, and 

 a rotation of 50 years, if an equal area is cut each year there 

 will be, at the end of the rotation, 50 ten-acre blocks covered 

 with woods varying in age from 50 down to i year old, as 

 shown in the following diagram. 



VVind 

 direction. 



The area marked I is the first area cut, and at the end of 

 the rotation it will have'5o-year-old trees upon it. Such 

 a wood forms one working circle. The total area oT 500 acres 

 need not form a compact block ; blocks say of 100, 200, and 

 200 acres respectively can be included in one working circle. 



One circle is usually sufficient where the area is not large, 

 and where the crop is of such a character that the whole 

 forest can be managed on one system. 



In the following cases, especially in large woods, it will be 

 necessary to divide the forest into two or more circles. 



1. If the woods contain two species with different rotations, 

 growing in pure woods ; for instance, if part contains conifers 

 on a 5o-year rotation, and the rest broad-leaved trees on 

 a rotation of 120 years. 



2. If two or more parts of a wood are to be managed on 

 different systems; for instance, if part is coppice-with- 

 standards and the rest is high forest with clear cutting. 



3. If it is necessary to have cuttings in two or more parts 

 of the forest at the same time. This will usually be the case 



