58 FORESTRY 



trees be not too old and that the manner of felling favour 

 the formation of buds. Although all broad-leaved trees may 

 be able to produce stool shoots, only a limited number are 

 thus treated in practical forestry. Formerly, more than 

 nowadays, Oak was raised in this manner for the sake of its 

 bark ; Alders and Willows in marshes are customarily 

 coppiced ; and upon fertile soil in the south the Sweet 

 Chestnut and Ash are often treated in this way. 



Coppice woods, as a rule, demand a good soil ; Oak, to 

 give bark, requires a warm situation, and for Alders plenty of 

 moisture is indispensable. Consideration should be given in 

 practice to the fact that younger parts of trees are those 

 relatively most rich in ash constituents. These being removed 

 from coppice woods, it follows that the drain upon the 

 nutrient strength of the soil is greater than is the case with 

 close high forest, where generally the stem alone is taken. 



Under this system, Oak and Ash are usually cut at fifteen 

 to twenty-five, Alder thirty to forty, Osiers one to two years. 



As a rule, coppice is harvested in the latter part of winter 

 or in early spring before the buds begin to swell. Oak, for 

 bark, however, is taken in May and June when the sap is flow- 

 ing, and Alder in winter when the marshy ground on which 

 it grows allows of the removal of the produce over the ice. 



In cutting, care must be taken to use sharp tools so that 

 a smooth surface on the stool may be left, and on no account 

 must the bark be separated from the wood. 



Large Alders may require the saw, but the axe is most 

 commonly used. 



In order to provide somewhat larger timber, a few straight, 

 well-grown stems are frequently kept over to another felling. 



Exhausted stools should be replaced by strong saplings 

 from a nursery, or truncated plants may be used. In the case 

 of Willows and Poplars, cuttings are often inserted directly 

 into forest ground. 



In the hilly district of Western Germany, a " catch crop " 

 is frequently taken just after a coppice wood has been cut over. 

 The surface covering and the refuse are burnt, and between 



