ORIGINAL WORKING PLAN DATA 507 



Where there is not any young growth, the seed felling should be made at once and 

 in opening up the stand carefully avoid giving any hold to the dangerous winds. For 

 this purpose it will be best to start with quite large openings, the areas chosen being 

 so far as possible amidst vigorous stems with well-developed crowns and long boles, 

 leaving groups of 4 to 5 trees so as to best resist the wind. The cover should be opened 

 up by taking short branchy trees, poles (growing) on stumps and those which are with- 

 out a future. The beech and the weeds which form the bushy under story should be 

 cut back. 



Wherever the soil is covered with grass which prevents the germination of the seed, 

 the scraping or raking (by strips) of the living cover and the thick layer of needles as 

 yet undecomposed will assist the growth of seedlings. 



In order to so far as possible decrease the considerable damage to existing young 

 growth caused by too frequent fellings of mature timber and to decrease the windfall, 

 the secondary fellings will be reduced to one or two at most; then the final felling will 

 take place. These, once commenced, should extend over the entire compartment even 

 in the parts not regenerated, for, if after the secondary felling and the freeing of the 

 branches, the seeding has not yet taken place it will not come in naturally. Then it 

 would be preferable to plant after the removal of the mature timber, selecting the most 

 appropriate species either to improve the so il or to establish a mixture which is always 

 desirable. Each time the forest is cut over care should be taken to remove ripe timber 

 because of its size or poor condition. The medium-sized timber and the poles which 

 are damaged, which cannot develop or which hinder reproduction, must be always 

 marked in addition to the mature timber. Only reserve the poles and standards in 

 groups; every tree, which after growing in a crowded stand becomes isolated, is sure 

 to decrease in value and vigor. These regeneration fellings will always be laid out, 

 one after the other, and should not pass from a compartment to the next one until it 

 has been entirely cut over. At the same time, all the necessary cultural operations 

 must be carried out: thinnings in the poles, cleanings in the thickets and saplings. 



Improvement Cuttings. (1) Compartments of the second group, 5, 9, 10, 14, 

 15, 19, 22. The second group includes the compartments which come up for regenera- 

 tion after those of the first group. After 30 years there should be a stand ready with 

 as many merchantable trees as possible. In these compartments the thinnings will be 

 very light, for the stands must be kept dense and the only trees which should be really 

 logged are those above the merchantable diameter limit. Thus the promising trees 

 whatever their diameter will get a start, and only the trees which are declining in vigor 

 and those fully mature, which would diminish in value if left standing longer, will be 

 removed. While avoiding an abnormal reproduction it will be possible to give a little 

 light to existing young growth. 



(2) Compartments of the third group. In these compartments the trees which 

 have reached an exploitable size can be gradually felled and the future stock will be 

 opened up so that they can develop with free crowns, but taking good care to keep the 

 stand as fully stocked as possible. Everything which covers the soil, even the weeds, 

 should be carefully preserved. No effort will be made to start reproduction; if it comes 

 in accidentally in any case the poles and young stands will not be sacrificed. On the 

 other hand there will be no hesitation in cutting out the overmature timber wherever 

 it may be found, where it is suppressing the advance growth (especially in compart- 

 ments 1, 20, 21, 23, 24). In the pole stands regular thinnings will be carried out by 

 freeing the crowns of the best boles. The beech, being valuable from all viewpoints, 

 must not be eliminated. Only the excess beech stems will be cut, but it must be kept 

 from taking the place of the conifers. 



