REGENERATION OF PULPWOOD LANDS 



Its Economic 

 Significance 



Black to Green US g ba k and lo k a minute at the Original 



in 30 Years forest, a pine forest with a mixed spruce-balsam- 



hardwood under-storey, giving the general impres- 

 sion of a 'black' forest. The pine was cut and did not re-establish 

 itself; 80 per cent of the spruce and perhaps the same amount of 

 balsam was cut. The result: within 30 years a 'black' forest was 

 changed to a 'green' forest; it was changed from a softwood forest, 

 to a hardwood forest. 



Very interesting, you say, but what of its economic 

 importance? It is this: the pine and spruce and 

 balsam are valuable, but the hardwoods, the beech, 

 birch, and maple are, so far as we know, valueless, being too far 

 from markets to be utilized at the present prices. Let me state the 

 case from another standpoint. The sum of the basal areas of the 

 spruce stumps of the various diameters on the average acre is 25 

 square feet. The basal area of the spruce remaining on the average 

 acre is only 5 square feet. The volumes of trees are proportional to 

 their basal areas. This means that the capital stock and, therefore, 

 the earning capacity of those areas are only one-fifth of what they 

 were originally. 



There is, however, at least one other point which we 

 should investigate carefully before we become too 

 pessimistic in regard to the future of these cut-over 

 lands. I refer to the young growth, the spruce and balsam trees 

 not yet of commercial size. Are they in sufficient abundance to 

 insure another crop? If so, when can we expect that crop ? As 

 already stated, these are the two principal questions we had con- 

 stantly before us in our work last summer. 

 Here is the answer to the first question : 



Young 

 Growth 



At first glance, this looks very bright for the future, 

 but let me refer once more to the mortality rate. 

 There are 635 spruce seedlings per acre, but when 

 they get up near commercial size, they are all dead but 6. The 



Mortality 

 Rate 



