SELECTIVE LOGGING 147 



financially. Every forest presents somewhat different logging prob- 

 lems. The size of trees, density of standing timber, topography, cli- 

 mate, distance to mill or market, daily log requirements of the saw- 

 mill, and available transportation facilities have a very important 

 bearing upon the selection of the most economical logging method 

 to employ. Careful consideration must be given to the initial cost, 

 maintenance, and operating efficiency of animals, sleds, tractors, and 

 power skidders expressed in costs per thousand board feet for skid- 

 ding in each region and tract. For the main log haul, a choice may 

 be necessary between railroads, motor trucks, tractors, chutes, wagons, 

 flumes, barges, and rafts. 



FIG. 83. Selective cutting in northern hardwoods, in Upper Peninsula of Michi- 

 gan. Only the largest and defective trees were removed leaving the younger and 

 thrifty trees to grow more rapidly. Cuttings were used for sawlogs, pulp wood, 

 fuelwood and other products. 



4. SELECTIVE LOGGING 



Within recent years, American silviculture has developed more pro- 

 gressively and actively along the lines of selective logging than in any 

 other direction. It is apparent that American economic and silvicul- 

 tural conditions lend themselves to selective logging better than to 

 some of the European methods of silviculture which are convention- 

 ally described under the general heading of Silviculture Natural 

 Reproduction. 



Selective logging is the partial cutting of the forest to flexible 

 diameter limits to increase present profits and to perpetuate and im- 



