METHODS OF SEED SELECTION 117 



doned for use for farm crops. This is true of wide sections in New 

 England and New York, where there are said to be 10 million and 

 5 million acres, respectively, available for tree planting. The same 

 situation prevails in the South and the Lake States. 



2. Burned forest areas that are not properly restocking to desir- 

 able species or a sufficient number of them. 



3. Woodlots and farm woodlands partially stocked with native 

 timber, but requiring additional planting. 



4. Logged areas which are not sufficiently restocked with native 

 growth, and which require partial or complete planting. 



3. SEED SELECTION 



In order to grow forest trees in nurseries, seed must be gathered. 

 Enormous quantities of cones, acorns, and burs, are collected every 

 year and seed is extracted from them in seed-extraction plants. As 

 most of the planting is done with softwoods or conifers, the seeds of 

 pines, spruces, firs, and larches are mostly in demand. For erosion 

 control, black locust is being widely used in the Middle West, the 

 South, and the Southeast. 



The selection of seed from vigorous, healthy, well-formed speci- 

 mens is of great importance. Attempts to grow Douglas fir from 

 the lower altitudes of the West Coast in the cold climates of the 

 Northeast and portions of Europe have been failures; seed to be used 

 in those regions should have come from the Rocky Mountains or 

 higher altitudes producing varieties of the same tree. Seed should if 

 possible be collected from the locality where it is to be grown or at 

 any rate from a place with a climate similar to that of the planting 

 site. 



4. METHODS OF SEED COLLECTION 



Special crews are sent out in our National Forests, State Forests, 

 and private forests to secure seed. The seed must be secured when 

 it matures. In some tree species seed matures in one year; others 

 require two years or more. Seed crops may vary from one to five 

 or more years. Considerable technique has recently been developed 

 in the procedure of seed collection; generally the following three 

 methods of seed collection are used: 



1. From the ground or water. Generally cones, burs, etc., may be 

 gathered from the ground. Those of beech, elm, or maple often fall 

 on water and may be collected when the wind has blown them into 

 protected places. 



