CHAPTER V 



PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS ON AREA TO BE AFFORESTED 



Before starting the afforestation of an area it is usually 

 necessary to carry out some preliminary operations, 

 the nature of which will vary according to the locality 

 and to the method of afforestation which is to be 

 adopted. These operations are usually confined to one 

 or more of the following : 



Fencing, 

 Clearing, 

 Draining, 

 Irrigation, 

 Lining, and 

 Tilth of the soil. 



As regards fencing, the subject has already been 

 dealt with in the chapter on Nurseries. The areas 

 which are taken up for afforestation are, however, 

 usually of much greater extent than nurseries, and the 

 costs of fencing may, in consequence, amount to 

 considerable sums. It is therefore necessary to select 

 the cheapest effective material. This will of course 

 depend on the kind of animals which are likely to do 

 damage to the young plants. If these are absent the 

 fence may be dispensed with ; otherwise, taken all in 

 all, barbed wire fences are the cheapest and best except 

 for small rodents and ruminants, which can be kept out 

 with wire-netting. Sometimes trapping and shooting 

 may suffice, but animals soon become wary and avoid 



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