WOODLOT MANAGEMENT 139 



is the amount that grows each year or the interest earned by 

 the forest capital. If more is cut the woodlot will soon run 

 out. 



A cord per acre per annum is an old measure of the 

 growth of the ordinary woodlot. There are, however, few 

 woodlots that grow at that rate. Most of them produce but 

 half a cord or less per acre every year. In cutting it will 

 not be safe to figure on a high yield. Raising the yield is 

 the problem of the farm woodlot. With a well stocked stand 

 of fast growing trees that are given the proper room for their 

 best growth by means of thinnings, a cord per annum and 

 more should be produced. The yield should be placed at a 

 certain amount and if the owner finds that after cutting a 

 few years the woodlot is becoming thin, a less amount should 

 be removed annually. If, on the other hand, the woodlot is 

 becoming overstocked with large trees, a larger amount can 

 safely be removed. 



Size of the Woodlot. Whether a woodlot will supply a 

 farm with all the wood products needed will depend primarily 

 on the size of the woodlot. It is often said that one-eighth 

 of the farm should be in a woodlot and that area should 

 supply the farm for all time with all wood products needed, 

 and also furnish some material for sale. The area that should 

 be in farm woodlot, however, is not definite. The annual in- 

 come from an acre of wooded land will depend on the species, 

 whether it has slow or fast growth ; on the soil, whether it is 

 suited to the tree grown; on the moisture content of the 

 soil, whether it is wet or dry; on the aspect or exposure to 

 winds or storms, and on the topography, whether the ground 

 is level or a steep slope, and on which way it faces. All these 

 factors and others will affect the growth of trees. Even the 

 same tree will not grow at the same rate in the same region 

 if the character of the soil varies or the moisture in the soil 

 differs in amount. The annual growth must be determined 

 for each particular woodlot and the size figured accordingly. 



