DAMAGE DONE TO TREE GROWTH BY GRAZING 209 



timber. Small areas of a few acres do not lend themselves to 

 the establishment of good forest conditions. The forest floor, 

 for instance, becomes dry, the tops of the trees are often severely- 

 damaged by storms, and the trees along the edges of the stand 

 are usually of inferior form. For these and other reasons pas- 

 turing is commonly practiced on the small planted woodland. 

 In the extensive hardwood-forest region, with its large farm 

 areas of broken, stony, or poor soils that are in timber, more at- 

 tention can profitably be given to the growing of trees. 



In general, timber production for profit can not compete with 

 the growing of farm crops or pasture forage on lands that have a 

 value of as much as $30 or more per acre. In the cattle-raising 

 district where woodlands are grown, such areas are in great de- 

 mand for pasture. The unpastured woodland is rare. Shade is 

 a distinct asset in the raising of livestock, whether it be of sheep, 

 cattle, hogs, or other animals. While the forage production 

 under the tree growth may not be of the best, it furnishes a con- 

 siderable amount of feed which the farmer seldom wastes. 



Damage Done to Tree Growth by Grazing. — As already men- 

 tioned, the damage done by grazing falls into two main classes — 

 browsing and trampling. Broad-leaved or hardwood trees, which 

 usually occupy farm woodlands, are generally more palatable to 

 grazing animals than is a stand of coniferous reproduction. The 

 browsing damage may consist of defoliation or of the cropping of 

 the bark and stems in varying degrees of seriousness. Occasion- 

 ally young seedlings are uprooted and killed. Trampling packs 

 the ground so that reproduction starts ^vith difficulty. Much 

 trampling may not only kill the seedHngs, but it may also cause 

 more or less damage to the mature or larger trees by exposing 

 the roots and packing heavily the ground around them. The 

 amount of damage done is generally proportionate to the in- 

 tensity of the grazing. The damage done by light grazing is 

 practically negligible. 



It is evident that, if the production of timber alone is con- 

 sidered, no grazing should be allowed. For general purposes 

 light grazing may be permitted on farm woodlands if other 

 conditions are favorable. So far as the livestock are concerned, 



