The Small Woodland 



CASH CROPS FROM SMALL FORESTS 



R. E. MCARDLE 



A FARMER in Louisiana was of- 

 fered $500 for all the timber in 

 his wood lot. To him it seemed a good 

 price, and he needed the money. But 

 after consultation with his county agri- 

 cultural agent the farmer had a for- 

 ester examine the wood lot. As a result 

 of this examination, he decided not to 

 sell all of the timber in the tract. But, 

 instead, with the help of the forester, 

 the farmer made thinnings to release 

 the crowded trees for faster growth, 

 and he made an improvement cut to get 

 rid of defective trees and weed species 

 that were taking up space needed by 

 high-value species. In that way he sold 

 about a third of his timber, and he 

 got $1,700 for it. Moreover, 5 years 

 hence he will be able to make another 

 sale. If present plans are carried out, 

 the wood lot will become more and 

 more productive and bring him a regu- 

 lar income from sale of products. 



An Oregon farmer was offered 

 $1,500 for his timber provided no 

 restrictions were imposed on cutting 

 Above: One value of woodlands is that they 

 add to the enjoyment of farm life. 



all trees the operator wanted to take. 

 On advice of a forester, the owner had 

 the timber cruised and marked for a 

 partial cut. As a result he obtained 

 $7,500, and still has an excellent for- 

 est, which will soon produce enough 

 wood for another cut. 



In Michigan, the owner of a small 

 stand of oak thought it had no value 

 until he was offered $800 for all the 

 timber on the tract. After analyzing 

 his opportunities, he sold a small part 

 of the timber for $950, and at the same 

 time put his forest into condition to 

 yield another income in a few years. 



A small woodland in Missouri has 

 furnished the extra cash needed to put 

 one of the owner's daughters through 

 the State university; another daughter 

 is in the university now, and four boys 

 are in line for similar education. 



In Kentucky, a landowner was of- 

 fered $7,000 for 310 trees selected by 

 the buyer. On advice of a forester, 

 however, only 199 trees were marked 

 as mature and ready for harvest. Bids 

 were invited and those 199 trees were 

 sold for $12,600. Equally important 



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