CHAPTER Wil 
THE TENDING OF FORESTS 
Unner the head of the tending of forests should 
be included improvement cuttings and protection. 
1. ImprovEMENT CurrTincGs 
Improvement cuttings include cleanings, prun- 
ings, and thinnings. 
The removal of dead, injured, or otherwise unde- 
sirable trees from a forest is called a cleaning. This 
includes in the beginning the removal of weeds or 
useless species. A weed, in its broadest sense, is sim- 
ply a plant out of place. Species infested with dis- 
ease should be removed. Insects breed in dead and 
decaying timber. Every tree, living or dead, which 
harbors injurious insects, or fungi, or mistletoes, is 
a dangerous center of infection. Brush, injurious 
vines and creepers may do great damage if allowed 
to seed and spread. When forests have been natu- 
rally regenerated, this is very important. After re- 
generation is complete, cleaning is necessary, espe- 
cially in tropical countries, where creepers, epiphytes, 
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