ch.vii REGENERATION BY COPPICE 195 



coppiced again, and their stool-shoots and root-suckers 

 will furnish the next crop, which will be again coppiced 

 at the end of the next rotation, and so on. 



For how many rotations stool can be added to stool 

 is a matter of which we have, at present, no knowledge. 

 It will no doubt depend largely on the species and on 

 the length of rotation, and consequently on the vitality 

 of the stool, and on that of the shoots which it produces, 

 and which will in turn give the next stools. But it is 

 clear that this cannot go on for ever, and that a time 

 comes when the stool becomes weak and cannot reproduce 

 more shoots. It is therefore necessary to provide for 

 an admixture of trees sprung direct from seed whose 

 stools can replace those which are losing their power of 

 reproduction. The same remarks apply, but probably 

 in a lesser degree, to root- suckers. This admixture 

 may be obtained either artificially, by sowing or planting, 

 or naturally, by keeping standards to stand over the 

 coupe and provide seed. 



Standards are kept not only as seed-bearers, but also 

 to provide timber of larger dimensions than that which 

 is obtained from the majority of the crop. In simple 

 coppice, as we have seen under definitions, either no 

 standards are left standing, or they are only left for one 

 extra rotation ; while in coppice under standards they 

 may be left for as many rotations as may be required 

 to develop their timber to the size at which it will be of 

 the greatest use to the owner of the wood. Standards, 

 if selected to produce timber, will be chosen from among 

 the most useful species ; whatever their object, they 

 will either be sprung direct from seed, or, if they are 

 coppice-shoots, they should not originate from old stools 

 or roots, the decay of which would affect their vitality. 



In the Tropics, wherever the locality is subjected 

 to a great drying heat or to parching winds, simple 

 coppice without any standards whatever will not be 

 advisable. This is more especially the case where the 

 rotation is short and the soil would be exposed and 

 subject to deterioration at frequent intervals ; also in 



