THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF WORKING PLANS 133 



Cutting series must be decided upon by the forest organizer 

 during the progress of the field work in order to gauge the sac- 

 rifices properly. They can be provisionally entered on the 

 working map by using dotted arrows. 



Theoretically the cutting series are like steps, actually they 

 are always somewhat irregular even under favorable conditions. 

 In the map, 5J and //, and ^e, f. g, and / obviously belong to 

 two cutting series. But 5^ is a separate proposition because it 

 must be cut before 5/; since it is more than twice as old (5/2 = 

 23 years, 5/^=52 years). 



Cutting series must be planned decades in advance, and 

 require careful thought and accurate judgment. The cutting 

 of such a series may require many years; early mistakes are 

 difficult to correct. 



Cutting series are most necessary in even-aged stands of 

 shallow-rooted species, and there they are of tremendous im- 

 portance.* Their regular adoption in America is still of the 

 future, but the principle can be utilized now. 



Plan of Cutting 



Ha\dng determined " how much '' and " where " to cut 

 during the ensuing working period, this is reduced to a docu- 

 mentary plan of cutting or " felling budget." 



Two kinds of cutting plans should usually be drawn up: 

 I, a general one for the entire working period — i.e., for the 

 number of years during which the working plan is intended to 

 apply, generally ten years; and II, a specific plan for the 

 ensuing year. 



I. The general cutting plan provides cutting areas sufficient 

 to yield (if the working period is ten years) at least ten times 

 the volume of the allowed annual cut or ten times the area, 

 as the case may be. It should, however, provide for some- 

 what more, so as to furnish additional cutting areas in case of 



* By this means windfall is checked and controlled in the spruce forests of 

 Saxony, the lack of cutting series is largely accountable for the tremendous 

 windfall in the spruce stands of the Black Forest in Baden. 



