INTRODUCTION. 



This bulletin is published by the State Forester that our people 

 may have at their disposal the information so often desired on 

 the thinning of woodlands. 



In 1905 the Massachusetts State Forester published a small 

 pamphlet on " Improvement Thinnings/' The edition of this 

 pamphlet has long since been exhausted. 



The present treatise enlarges on the subject, and has much addi- 

 tional value in that it contains data and illustrations taken from 

 actual experiments. 



While it is believed that after studying this pamphlet carefully 

 a man of good judgment should be able to go into his woodlot 

 and select approximately at least the right trees to be thinned out, 

 yet it must be said that the problems of thinning are many and 

 diverse, and it is impossible to give more than the general theory 

 in a publication like this. 



Your attention is called to the policy of this office in sending 

 out trained foresters at the request of any owners of woodland in 

 the State. The forester will go over the land with the owner or his 

 agent, and will explain to him his ideas on its treatment. The 

 expense to the applicant for this advice is merely the travelling 

 expenses of the visiting forester. Application blanks for such work 

 can be had through your local forest warden, or by sending directly 

 to the State Forester's Office. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



The work of writing and compiling the data in this bulletin 

 was done by my assistant, Mr. H. 0. Cook, M.F., who was assisted 

 by Mr. H. F. Gould, M.F., in the field work. 



Particular attention is also called to the " Report on the Prac- 

 tical Thinning of a White Pine Woodlot," at the end of the bul- 

 letin. This work was accomplished under the direction of a former 

 assistant, Mr. J. J. Dearborn, who did the work so well that the 

 Diamond Match Company sought his services. 



F. W. RANE, 



State Forester. 



6 BEACON STREET, BOSTON, MASS., Dec. 24, 1909. 



