56 ANNUAL REPORT OF 



A NORMAL FOREST. 



The best treatment, however, of this five hundred acre 

 tract of perpetual forest would be to get it into the condi- 

 tion of a normal forest at the earliest practicable period. 

 A normal forest is one that is fully stocked, that contains 

 different age classes of trees, so that enough mature trees 

 can be cut annually or in a certain series of years to 

 yield a steady income on the capital invested without 

 impairment of the capital. The rotation period for pine 

 on such soil should be eighty years; and as soon as this 

 forest is in a normal condition six and a quarter acres of 

 mature timber can be cut annually for ever. An acre of 

 such forest should, at the end of its eighty years' growth, 

 yield on an average 20,000 feet board measure. The 

 yield of six and a quarter acres therefore would 

 be 124,000 feet, which at $5 per 1,000 feet would 

 amount to $620 as the annual gross income from the forest, 

 exclusive of intermediate thinnings and fishing and hunt- 

 ing privileges. From this gross income of $620 deduct 

 $124 as the annual average expense of care of the forest, 

 also taxes (which on sound principles should only be on 

 the revenue), and we have left 1496 as the net amount of 

 annual interest, at three per cent, on a capital of 116,530, 

 representing the value of the forest. 



Forestry enjoys this advantage over agriculture: The 

 field crop must be harvested when ripe, even though 

 market prices are ruinous ; but the forest crop can stand 

 and grow, if only a little, till prices are good. It may be 

 expedient not to cut our regular six and one-quarter acres 

 of forest each year, but wait ten years, or even longer, and 

 then, when the market for timber is very good, cut enough 

 to make up for the inactive years. 



To bring a forest into a strictly normal state the fol- 

 lowing rule, cited by Professor William Schlih (Manual of 

 Forestry, vol. 3, page 318), can be followed: "If the 



