METHODS OF TREATMENT 93 



plants have grown taller. Nevertheless care must of course 

 be taken ; the larger trees should be removed in the earlier 

 cuttings, as they can then be got out with the least damage ; 

 trees must be lopped if they are large crowned, and they must 

 be felled in the direction where least damage will be done. 

 They should be removed on timber-carts and should not be 

 dragged out of the area. 



Modifications in practice. 



In British woods it is very seldom necessary to carry out 

 any preparatory cuttings whatever, as they are usually already 

 open enough, and there is seldom an excess of humus. It is 

 unfortunately more often the case that the soil is covered with 

 a mass of weeds or with a hard turf. In these cases the 

 preparatory stage consists of cutting the weeds and working 

 up the soil just before making the seeding felling. A light 

 forest plough may be run over the ground, or the soil may be 

 hoed up in strips about two feet wide and four feet apart. 

 The seeding felling being completed, the seed may be raked 

 into these strips and be lightly covered. 



In British beech woods no preparatory cuttings are usually 

 required. When a good mast year comes all'except about 

 50 trees per acre are cut in the seeding cut. When the seed- 

 lings are two years old a final cut, removing about half t'he 

 crop, should be made, and the rest should be removed in a few 

 years' time. 



With oak about 40 trees per acre should be left as a shelter 

 wood, all others being cut away in the seed felling. As soon 

 as the seedlings are three years old, the whole of the shelter 

 wood should be removed, as the young plants are light- 

 demanders and do not suffer from frost. An area of about 

 370 acres of oak wood in the Forest of Dean was, during the 

 years 1900-1904, most successfully regenerated, and there is 

 now a dense young crop of seedlings on the ground of all 

 heights up to 12 feet, the average being about 5 feet ; 40 



