CHAPTER XVII 

 THE AFFORESTATION OF WASTE LANDS 



UNDER the scheme of the Forestry Commission a very 

 large area of waste land is likely to be planted during the 

 next decade, and it appears desirable to add a few notes upon 

 this special work, although, of course, the choice of species, 

 details of planting operations, &c., have been dealt with in 

 previous chapters. 



Survey. 



Before any planting scheme over an extensive area of waste 

 land is decided upon, it is desirable to thoroughly inspect 

 every part of the land to make sure that it is in every respect 

 suitable for afforestation. With a six-inch map the officer 

 making the survey walks over the area and makes notes upon 

 the map. If the land is at a high elevation he should first 

 walk up-hill until he reaches an elevation above which he 

 considers planting should not be done. He then walks along 

 the contour and marks upon the map this line or ' planting 

 limit'. He decides this upon the spot, and does not settle 

 beforehand the elevation above which he will not plant. It 

 is a mistake to go out with a fixed line, say 1,500 feet, in one's 

 mind as the limit. It is far better to fix the line after con- 

 siderable scrutiny from all sides, and after getting a really 

 good idea of the exposure. In places the planting limit can 

 go further up the hill because the heights beyond it are 

 higher, and give good shelter ; in other places the line must 

 descend, because possibly there is a gap in the hills, and 

 a heavy current of wind runs between them. Perhaps, though 

 the exposure is not too great, the soil is too peaty above 



