SILVICULTURAL SYSTEMS OF CUTTING 111 



is lopped and scattered, except along main roads and adjacent to 

 camps where it is piled and burned. 



In the northern portion of its occurrence the stands are more in- 

 clined to be pure and even-aged, particularly on north and east slopes. 

 Here some method of clear cutting, leaving strips or blocks, is advo- 

 cated, since experience has shown that the long-boled, short-crowned, 

 reserved trees are broken off or overturned by sleet and wind storms. 

 In the reserved portions of the stand no cutting of any nature is made, 

 the object being to leave the stand intact. Usually about 25% of the 

 volume is left. The slash is piled and burned. 



Lodgepole Pine Type. This type often occurs as a pure stand 

 of lodgepole pine, although scattered individuals of Engelmann spruce 

 and alpine fir are commonly present. The younger stands lend them- 

 selves to a selection system of cutting. Lodgepole pine where reason- 

 ably accessible is in demand for ties and telephone poles, so a selec- 

 tion system permits harvesting these products as they reach merchant- 

 able size. The trees marked for cutting usually have a diameter of 

 12 inches d.b.h. or larger, although in some instances 12- or 13-inch 

 trees are reserved for further growth when they will not cut two ties. 



By far the greater portion of the lodgepole pine stands in the 

 National Forests, however, are over-mature, and the differences in 

 age between the trees of different diameter is negligible. There is 

 much material which is below merchantable size for anything except 

 mine props and lagging, and the market for these products is very 

 limited. As a result the selective system of cutting is generally fol- 

 lowed in these old stands also, not through choice but because it is the 

 only method which can be economically justified. In the few instances 

 where there is a market for mine props and lagging, clear cutting is 

 resorted to, and this is considered the proper silviculture for the over- 

 mature lodgepole pine stands. In selective cutting, many suppressed 

 pines of small diameter are left which give little promise of ever devel- 

 oping into merchantable trees. On the other hand, there are always 

 some co-dominant trees just under merchantable size which will be 

 stimulated after the cutting and develop into merchantable size. 

 Therefore, though the system followed is not ideal, the results are 

 better than if no cutting were done. If markets permitted, clear cut- 

 ting could be practiced largely in these old stands. Lodgepoje^rjinejs 

 intolerant of shade, and a selection system of cutting cannot be fol- 

 lowed indefinitely if the stand is to be regenerated; sooner or later 

 clear cutting must be approached and a fresh start taken. 



In the earlier National Forest cuttings, hewed ties only were taken, 

 leaving a number of trees over hewing size. Of recent years, the 





