400 APPENDIX 



SCOTCH PINE 



(Pinus sylvestris) 



Climate and Soil. Scotch pine is the tree of the plains and sandy hills. In France 

 it is found growing naturally in the Vosges up to an altitude of 3,600 feet, in the Central 

 Plateau up to 4,900 feet, in the Alps up to 5,600 feet, and in the Pyrenees up to 6,560 

 feet. It ordinarily prefers southern exposures. Except hi the aleppo and maritime 

 pine areas, Scotch pine has been extensively used in reforestation; both in the plains and 

 in the mountains its range has been widely extended by artificial means. While it will 

 grow on compact soils, it much prefers those which are loose and porous. 



Tolerance. Scotch pine has a light, open crown, even up to advanced age; seed- 

 lings are light demanding and will not develop in very dense stands. It requires plenty 

 of space to develop its crown. . . . Wliile this species withstands winter and 

 spring frosts, more than any other tree, it is liable to damage by insects and fungus, 

 especially when growing outside its natural habitat. The tree also avoids the summits 

 that are exposed to violent winds; nevertheless it appears to resist the rigour of winter, 

 but after its crown exceeds the usual depth of snow it may suffer damage. . . . 



Root System and Seeding. The root system varies according to the ground. In 

 a light, deep soil the tap root develops and is the essential part of the root system up 

 to 30 or 40 years. After this period the laterals increase in vigor and have a tendency to 

 replace the tap root. On other soils the tap root stops growth quite early and the later- 

 als soon replace it. 



Scotch pine begins early to bear seed, and isolated trees produce cones with good seed 

 as early as 15 years. Ordinarily, in stands, it does not bear until about 50 years and 

 even after. On the whole, some cones are borne every year, but seed is abundant only 

 every 3 to 5 years. 



Growth Longevity. When adapted to the situation, the Scotch pine is a tree of 

 large size, which reaches 98 to 131 feet in height, but rarely exceeds 3.2 to 6.5 feet in 

 diameter breast-high.. ... Its growth, quite slow in the North, is infinitely more 

 rapid in the southern zone. Its longevity is very great. In the plains, where it has 

 been introduced, it lives a much shorter life. 



Wood and Its Uses. The wood is of first quality in the northern climate and in the 

 mountains, but becomes of secondary value, as the growth increases, in the milder zones. 

 In the latter case the proportion of sapwood is considerable as compared with heartwood. 

 This heartwood, while of good quality, is far less valuable for lumber . . . than 

 the Scotch pine of Norway and Finland. As fuel it is better than the fir and spruce 

 and is much sought after by bakers. . . . It is much used for paper pulp. 



By-Products. Scotch pine is not tapped for turpentine, but the stumps, when 

 distilled, yield tar and charcoal of good quality. 



Silvicultural Characteristics. The Scotch pine should be treated as regular high 

 forest. In pure stands, in suitable localities, the young stand maintains the soil up to 

 25 or 30 years; afterwards, when the stand becomes more open, natural regeneration 

 becomes quite difficult under the pure veterans. This explains why, in run-down forests, 

 one is often obliged to resort to artificial regeneration which, however, is quite easy, 

 either by plantations or by seeding. Scotch pine grows well with beech, fir, or spruce, 

 and, thanks to its rapid growth, remains dominant and furnishes an excellent yield. 

 These mixtures are unfortunately much too rare in France, and, under the circumstances, 

 it would be valuable to create mixed stands artificially. In the high mountains it is 

 possible to treat it under the selection system. ... On low-grade soil ... it 

 is indispensable to retain every kind of vegetation (as a soil cover). Whether it is pure 



