FOREST MANAGEMENT 115 



may be called the unit of division as regards management ; 

 in extensive forests its area is often fifty or sixty acres, but 

 it may be much less. In level country a system of cleared 

 lines, forming a rectangular network of roads, serves to 

 separate compartments. These divisional lines are also 

 generally useful as providing means of communication be- 

 tween the various parts 0f the forest, and as defence lines 

 against forest fires ; they usually run directly from north to 

 south, and from east to west. In forming compartments, due 

 regard must be paid to roads already existent, so as to avoid 

 awkwardly shaped areas. 



Amongst the hills, roads and paths, supplemented by rides, 

 provide a convenient means of division, as do ridges, valleys, 

 and watercourses, where advantage can be taken of them. 

 In hilly districts it is especially necessary to give consideration 

 to the proper arrangement of the Felling Series at the time 

 of fixing the divisions of the forest. 



Within the limits of one compartment there may be many 

 differences as regards the species, age, and condition of the 

 woods, and these should be noted in the survey at least, if 

 over half an acre in extent. In future management such 

 irregularities ought to be eliminated as far as possible. 



Frequently a forest district is divided into a series of blocks. 

 Natural boundaries, as a rule, form the limits of the block, 

 because the progression of fellings and, indeed, the regenera- 

 tion of the areas and general facilities for control are de- 

 pendent largely on local topography. Such blocks often 

 have considerable significance when they form the primary 

 divisions of a conservancy. Independent series of fellings 

 may be arranged for them, and each can with advantage be 

 placed under the supervision of one responsible forester. 



The " working section " is another management-division, 

 the usefulness of which will be explained later. When a 

 conservancy is in the hands of more than one proprietor, the 

 boundaries of the working sections generally correspond with 

 those of the several estates. Still, even with the land in the 

 ownership of a single party, the presence of dissimilar species 



