SYLVICULTURE. 



Thinnings are applied to the" underwood only; whilst the over- 

 wood alone is the object of pruning. 



A. Cleaning purports to eliminate undesirable shoots in young 

 coppice, or removes desirable shoots liable to interfere with the 

 development of overwood seedlings imbedded in the coppice. 



B. Weeding removes weed trees, usually tending to form new 

 sprouts from the stumps of the weed trees removed. Weeding is 

 a necessity where a culled forest is to be converted into a cul- 

 tured forest, the culled forest containing a large number of weed 

 wees. 



At Biltmore, the weed trees removed are Black Gum over- 

 shadowing the coppice and the Pine seedlings standing therein; 

 fire-scalded Oaks or Hickories, bent and low crowned; wolfs of 

 Yellow Pine; pretentious Dogwoods or Halesias and so on. 



C. improvement cuttings improve the prospects of the over- 

 wood, remove undesirable members of the overwood and regulate 

 the number of the constituents forming an age-class of the over- 

 wood. " The normal cuttings in the overwood are . improvement 

 cuttings." 



In semi-normal woods, the oldest class of the overwood is 

 entirely removed. Class II is reduced to the former membership 

 of Class I; Class III is reduced to the former membership of 

 Class II, etc. It stands to reason, that the least desirable mem- 

 bers of a class should be thus removed. In semi-normal woods, 

 the improvement cuttings take place at the time at which the 

 underwood is ripe for coppicing. 



The improvement cutting yields timber of all sorts and of all 

 sizes obtained from the various age-classes. 



The improvement cutting does not regularly intend to help 

 regeneration. Frequently, of course, the stumps of trees removed 

 by the improvement cutting form sprouts partaking in the coppice- 

 tier. 



D. Pruning: Dead branches of the overwood trees might be 

 removed to develop timber clear of dead knots. 



Live branches of overwood trees formed low on the bole are 

 removed to lessen the intensity of the shade to which the under- 

 wood and the seedlings imbedded therein are locally subjected. 



The members of the overwood, owing to their free position, 

 are apt tc form and retain heavy branches. The act of pruning 

 in coppice under standards corresponds with that described in sec- 

 tion sixty-three for high forest. 



The coppice is pruned only in rare instances, f. i., for the im 

 provement of oak tanbark. 



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