THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF WORKING PLANS 53 



SECTION THREE 



DETERMINATION OF METHOD OF TREATMENT 



Governing Conditions 



The method of treatment of any given forest depends on 

 the wishes and purposes of its owner. It is very necessary that 

 these fundamentals be decided in consultation between the 

 owner and administrator, and the forest organizer; for the 

 working plan must be arranged accordingly. 



Four main issues must be decided before any complete 

 working plan is possible : 



1. The unit of regulation. 



2. Object of management. 



3. The silvicultural method of management. 



4. Rotation. 



The Unit of Regulation 



The unit of regulation or w^orking unit, as defined above, 

 is that area which is to be managed under an individual work- 

 ing plan, and usually for a sustained yield. The working unit 

 may or may not coincide with the administrative unit, e.g., 

 the single national forest. 



In creating working units, the doctrine of sustained j^ield 

 must be treated broadly. A sustained yield presupposes three 

 things : 



(i) A sustained market with attendant transportation facil- 

 ities rendering every part of the forest accessible now or pro- 

 gressively so in the near future. 



(2) An area ample, under the silvicultural methods chosen, 

 to supply this sustained market. 



(3) Stable market prices for the lumber and other forest 

 products. 



These three factors do not always coincide with the admin- 

 istrative units. The boundary of the administrative unit is 

 purely for convenience in the management of the forest; the 



