VI PREFACE 



The book deals primarily with the principles of cut- 

 ting mature stands of timber with a view to their replace- 

 ment by new growth; cuttings in immature stands made 

 for their improvement; and forest protection, with par- 

 ticular reference to forest fires. The book is not intended 

 as a complete treatise on silviculture, but deals only with 

 the treatment of woodlands. The methods of artificial 

 seeding and planting are not included at all. This is an 

 extensive subject in itself and is left to be handled by 

 another author. 



I have endeavored to present the subject primarily 

 from the standpoint of conditions as they obtain to-day. 

 The book is designed to serve a present purpose. In 

 most parts of the country the methods of forestry first 

 used are necessarily primitive in their application. We 

 are using to-day methods in vogue in Europe many years 

 ago, when market conditions were similar to those now 

 common in this country. With the increasing value of 

 timber and larger returns from forestry, better and more 

 intensive methods will be used. In the long run the ap- 

 plication of forestry in this country will resemble very 

 closely that in Europe, with such modifications as are re- 

 quired by the peculiar characteristics of our species and 

 our climate. I have laid special emphasis on some of 

 the more primitive methods of forestry because these are 

 often the only methods which can be applied under con- 

 ditions of poor markets and difficult logging. Thus a 

 prominent place is given to the selection system in its 

 first application to virgin forests; some of the clear-cut- 



