100 SILVICULTUREMETHODS OF NATURAL REPRODUCTION 



ditions. An initial experimental form has been tried out and suc- 

 cessfully applied, however. 



The costs of silviculture as outlined by Hawley depend upon: 



(1) Cost of securing reproduction either by artificial or natural means. 



(2) Cost of protection from injury. This may be a few cents per 

 acre yearly. Forest fire insurance may be classed as a silvicultural 

 cost although not available as yet. It seems likely that insurance may 

 come when improved methods of protection are in effect. (3) In- 

 creased expenses of logging. Greater care in felling, bucking, and 

 skidding logs to protect or save young trees and seedlings on the 

 cutting area. Horse skidding is much less destructive to young growth 

 than other forms of skidding. Tractor logging is much less destruc- 

 tive than power skidding. (4) Increased cost of administration, such 

 as marking of trees for felling, inspection, and general supervision. 

 (5) Costs, if any, due to permanent investment. 



Show,* of the U. S. Forest Service, has indicated that the in- 

 creased cost of silviculture in the California pine region would not 

 be over 50c per m.b.f. cut. Munger f estimated it would cost Ic per 

 acre annually, plus 22c per m.b.f. for logs cut, in order to assure 

 continuous forest production in the Douglas fir region of the North- 

 west. Cline and Lockard f estimate a loss of 6c per acre per annum 

 in the first rotation (age of a forest when cut) of 60 years in mixed 

 white pine and hardwoods in Massachusetts and subsequently a net 

 profit of $6.29 per acre. 



2. ADVANTAGES OF NATURAL VERSUS ARTIFICIAL 

 REPRODUCTION 



These advantages may be summarized as follows: (1) Natural 

 reproduction is generally far less expensive than tree planting because 

 it costs little if anything. Even with seed trees left for purposes of 

 securing reproduction, this method may be very inexpensive and 

 certainly far less expensive than growing trees in nurseries, shipping 

 them to the planting area, and planting them in the field. (2) It is 

 nature's method. Trees readily adapt themselves to the site. There 

 is often danger that planted trees may not be properly suited to a 

 given locality, and even on a given planting area some trees are 



* Show, S. B., "Timber Growing and Logging Practice in the California Pine 

 Region," U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1402, pp. 70-71, 1926. 



t Munger, T. T., "Timber Growing and Logging Practice in the Douglas Fir 

 Region," U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1493, pp. 32-34, 1927. 



$ Cline, A. C., and C. R. Lockard, "Mixed White Pine and Hardwood," Har- 

 vard Forest Bull., 8, pp. 57-58, 1925. 



