CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. 



i. The basis of management. 



WOODS and forests, whether owned by private landlords, or by 

 the State or other corporate bodies, must obviously be managed 

 in such a way as to carry out as far as possible the wishes of the 

 owner. The foundation of forest management therefore is the 

 object of management as stated, after due consideration, by the 

 owner of the forest. No one but the owner can decide authori- 

 tatively on the policy to be followed, and it is his duty and 

 privilege therefore to think the matter out carefully, and then 

 to define exactly what his object or objects is or are. Until this 

 is done the professional forester can do little or nothing to help 

 matters. In some cases, as in most State forests, the object of 

 management has been definitely and explicitly laid down; but 

 in others, notably in British estate woods, the object has never 

 been clearly thought out nor defined, and is often, there is reason 

 to fear, non-existent. 



2. Various objects of management. 



Speaking generally, these objects of management may be 

 classified as being either physical or economic. The former class 

 would apply generally to all forests of protection, such as forests 

 maintained on mountain slopes to prevent erosion, ravinement, 

 landslips or torrents, and to forests in the catchment areas of 

 rivers affording an important water supply; and to any forests 

 maintained for climatic reasons or other indirect effects. It 

 would also apply to private woodlands attached to estates in 

 Great Britain which are treated as amenity grounds for land- 

 scape or arboricultural purposes, and lastly also at any rate 

 to some extent to woodlands worked primarily as game pre- 

 serves. On the other hand, an economic object of management 

 would apply to all forests of supply to all forests, that is, 

 which are worked mainly with a view to a supply of timber or 



J.F. I 



