578 



Illustrated Canadian Forestry Magazine, December. iq20 



How Fast Does a Planted Forest Grow ? 



{'Sy 6llT^ood Wdson) 



'llicrc has \k-vu murh discussion as lo 

 tlie ])raciical)ility aivl cost of reforesta- 

 tion l)v planting- and also of the time 

 wliicli nnist elapse before a crop could 

 be expected. Unfortunately in Canada 

 we have only made a bei,nnnin^- and suf- 

 ficient time has not elapsed to give us 

 much idea of the rates of growth of 

 planted forest trees. The accompany- 

 ing table of measurements made on Nor- 

 way spruce planted at Axton by the Cor- 

 nell Forestry School under the direction 

 of Dr. I'^rnow, goes to show that the 

 predictions for planted trees made by the 

 writer are amply conservative. The 

 table shows that on good soils a thinning 

 of two or three cords per acre might be 

 made at 25 years and that even on the 

 poorest soils at twenty years of age the 

 total wood per acre is above the average 

 for what can be cut. under Government 

 diameter limits in Quebec on \irgin 

 Forest lands. 



It may be inK-resting to note that on 

 a Scots pine plantatitjn made in 1913 by 

 the Laurentide Co.. on the poorest sandy 

 soil spaced 6x5 feet now shows an 

 average growth of seven and a half feet 

 in height and 2.35 inches in diameter six 

 inclies above the ground, and a volume of 

 71 cubic feet or over half a cord of solid 

 wood per acre. 



Norway spruce planted in 1914 has an 

 average height of 50.6 inches and aver- 

 age diameter six inches above the ground 

 f)f 1 inch. The average increases in 

 height for the past year has been 11.83 

 inclies. 



The Commission of Conservation is 

 annually measuring the growth of plant- 

 ed trees on Laurentide Company's lands 

 and this information will be regularlv 

 j)ublished for the benefit of those in- 

 terested. 



Summary Data on growth of Norway Spruce at Axton 



All figures reduced to per acre basis. 



Plot X — Planted in 1897 with three-year-old transplants, spaced 5x5. The plots 



have been thinned at intervals for Christmas trees. 

 Plots 201, 2C2, 2(p'— Waste pasture lands planted by students. 

 Plots 207. 208. 209c — Planted on land burned after logginsj: in 1894 under cover of 



Aspen and Paper Birch. 

 Plots 212. 214. 215. 21G — Planted under cover of Birch and Popple on an old Burn. 

 Plot 219^ — Planted on area clear cut and brush burned after logging. 

 Plot X — Located on the lands of C. F Dietrich, at Millbrook. Dutchess County, New 



York. 

 Plots 201. 202. 20:;. 207, 208, 209c, 212, 214. 215. 216, 219 — Located near Axton, New York.. 



(Cornell Plantations.) 



