184 Switzerland. 



Artificial means to secure complete stands in natural 

 regenerations is favored by the cantonal regulations, but 

 thinning operations are still mostly neglected, except 

 where local market for inferior material makes them 

 advisable which is mostly in the plains country, where 

 the annual jdeld from thinnings may represent 30 %> of 

 the total harvest yield. 



Conversion from coppice and coppice with standards 

 into timber forest and change from clearing systems to 

 natural regeneration (proper for mountain forest) and 

 from pure to mixed forest have become general provis- 

 ions of the working plans. 



The average cut in the State forests during 4 years 

 prior to 1893 was over 64 cub. ft. p. acre and 42 cub. ft. 

 for the corporation forests, an average for all the public 

 forests of round 45 cub. ft., not a very good showing as 

 yet. So far the collection of material for yield tables 

 and for a statement of increment and stock on hand in 

 the country at large are still insufficient, although in 

 1882 Prof. Landolt estimated the annual product at lit- 

 tle less than 500 million cubic feet or 50 cubic feet per 

 acre. 



Only for the intensively managed city forests of 

 Zurich and the cantonal forests of Bern are more ac- 

 curate data available. In the latter the State forests 

 yield 50 cubic feet in the plateau country, 73 cubic feet 

 in the middle country and 76 cubic feet in the Jura, 

 while the communal forests yield 15, 66 and 56 cubic 

 feet respectively. Prices for wood are higher in the low 

 coimtry than the average in Germany and have been 

 steadily rising for the last 40 years, especially for coni- 

 ferous saw material which at present brings stumpage 

 prices of 12 to 15 cents. 



