TECTONA 755 



method of taungija plantations, from the point of view of efficiency and economy, 

 has proved far superior to any other method yet devised, however successful. 

 These plantations should, if properly carried out, seldom cost more than Rs. 20 

 per acre to establish completely, and where no rewards are given for raising 

 the young crop of teak they should cost a good deal less. Experimental work 

 in obtaining natural reproduction by felling, burning, and weeding has shown 

 that crops far less fully stocked cannot be raised except at a considerably 

 higher cost than in the case of taungya plantations. For the systematic forma- 

 tion and upkeep of these plantations on a large scale the establishment of 

 forest villages will in most cases be necessary. This will ensure a permanent 

 supply of forest labour for work other than that connected with plantations, 

 while in addition the food of the labour force will be produced on the 

 ground. 



Failing taungya plantations, experiments carried out in the upper mixed 

 forests of the Pegu Yoma so far indicate the following to be the sequence of 

 operations necessary to secure natural reproduction : 



(1) The area should be fire-protected for two or three years before fellings 

 are commenced, in order to ensure a plentiful crop of teak seed on the ground. 



(2) All trees should be felled or girdled except those required as seed- 

 bearers and compact groups of poles of teak and other valuable species which 

 are not too old to form part of the future crop, but all solitary poles, including 

 teak, should be cut, together with all bamboos and shrubby undergrowth ; 

 this should be completed by the hot season. 



(3) The whole area should be thoroughly burnt in the hot season, the 

 fiercer the fire the better being the results ; it may be necessary to burn again 

 for another year or two before a sufficient crop of young teak is secured. 



(4) This felling and burning is usually followed by a good crop of young 

 teak and other species where seed-bearers are plentiful and where the fire 

 has been intense ; all trees standing on the area should be felled and removed 

 during the cold season following the appearance of the young crop, or if teak 

 is not to be felled green it should then be girdled, extraction being carried out 

 three years later. 



(5) The young crop should be weeded, usually three times during the first 

 rainy season, and subsequently as often as necessary until it is established. 



(6) After the extraction of girdled teak, damaged young growth should be 

 cut back. 



(7) After the burning the area should be fire-protected as long as weeding 

 is necessary ; thereafter experience should determine whether it is better to 

 continue fire -protection or to burn early in the season. 



Fig. 291 gives an idea of the success with which natural reproduction has 

 been obtained on an experimental scale in the Saing Yane reserve of the 

 North Toungoo division by clearing the overhead cover, felling bamboos, 

 thoroughly burning, and weeding the resulting natural teak seedlings. 



A system of concentrated regeneration fellings somewhat on the lines 

 just indicated is being introduced throughout the whole of the hill forests of 

 Tharrawaddy. For the present the rotation is to be fixed at 120 years, divided 

 into six periodic blocks of twenty years each. In the blocks not under regenera- 

 tion, subsidiary selection fellings, with thinnings, will be carried out under 



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