CHAPTER XIII 

 WOODLOT MANAGEMENT 



Conception of the Woodlot as Forest Capital. The trees 

 in the woodlot can be considered as forest capital from which 

 an income is to be derived or the same as money in the bank 

 at interest. The amount of wood that is laid on the trees 

 in a year, the annual growth, is the interest on the forest 

 capital. If the amount of wood produced by each tree every 

 year is large, owing to rapid growth, a high rate of interest 

 will be earned by the woodlot. 



Unless the trees in the woodlot are fast growing species 

 of trees and unless they are given the proper amount of space 

 for their best and most rapid development by means of thin- 

 nings, a low rate of interest must be expected. Like any other 

 business, the returns from the woodlot will depend on the kind 

 and amount of capital in the business, and also on how that 

 capital is handled. 



The Amount of Timber to Remove Annually from the 

 Woodlot, It is important to know the amount of timber that 

 can be removed annually from the woodlot without detriment 

 to the forest capital. It is a common saying that a farmer 

 cannot use his woodlot and have it too. This is because as 

 soon as he begins cutting in the woodlot it is not many years 

 before the woodlot is in a wornout condition, the trees stand- 

 ing far apart and grass and weeds covering the forest floor. 

 This results from not knowing the amount that can safely be 

 removed each year. In this case instead of cutting the interest 

 only, the owner has been cutting into the forest capital. The 

 amount that can safely be cut from the woodlot each year 



138 



