FOREST MANAGEMENT 137 



visionally shortened. If more than one series of age classes 

 ("working section") exist, each must be managed on a 

 distinct rotation. One may, for example, have woods of 

 Alder coppice in the midst of a Scots Pine forest ; but as 

 their methods of treatment are fundamentally different, each 

 is given a suitable felling age and working section. 



The General working plan deals with all that concerns the 

 control of the forest. It is the basis of the whole system of 

 management, and special emphasis is given to directions 

 regarding fellings and regeneration, regulating the way in 

 which the woods will pass gradually from one Period to 

 another. It consists partly of tabular statements, partly of 

 a written report. In former times schemes of regulation 

 were prepared to control detailed work, even in the distant 

 future. Such laboriously constructed plans are, however, 

 quite unnecessary, as, in the course of very long periods of 

 time, changes intentional and accidental are certain to occur. 

 It has therefore now become customary to state only the 

 aims and guiding principles of the work, with particular 

 reference to the operations in the next ten or twenty years. 

 The areas of the more remote Periods have their places in 

 the working plan allotted to them in such a way that a per- 

 manently equal yield is assured. By noting these in the 

 general scheme, a survey is given of the whole of the proposed 

 course. As has been already mentioned, however, the selec- 

 tion of the woods for allocation is occasionally made with 

 regard only to the next decade. 



In drawing up the General working plan attention is given 

 to the arrangement of the succession of the fellings and the 

 formation of what will be the cutting series of the future. 

 Regard must also be paid to these important matters at the 

 time of the subdivision of the forest area. 



The order in which the fellings are made, influences the 

 restocking of the cleared ground. The direction which the 

 fellings take in following one another is largely dictated by 

 the dangers which locally threaten the forest. Amongst 

 these, the lessening of damage by windstorm should be given 



