CH. VIII 



REGENERATION BY SEED 215 



This method has the advantage over the compart- 

 ment method of giving lateral shelter to more delicate 

 seedlings and saplings even after the after-fellings have 

 been completed. On the other hand, the length and 

 narrowness of the lines make the working and super- 

 vision more costly. 



(c) In the group method the regeneration fellings 

 are carried out over no denned areas, but here and 

 there over the portions of the forest the component trees 

 of which are reaching exploitability, or belong to such 

 species as require to be given a start over others in 

 natural regeneration. 



In a forest, however uniform at a casual glance, it 

 will be found after a more careful examination that, 

 owing to conditions of soil or from other causes, certain 

 portions are more advanced than others and more ready 

 for regeneration fellings. In a mixed forest, even of 

 practically the same age, different species have different 

 rates of growth and reach exploitability at different 

 times ; the forest in consequence becomes irregular, and 

 this method becomes a more natural one than either the 

 compartment or the strip methods, which ride rough- 

 shod over these differences and compel the forest to 

 adapt itself as best it may to the treatment which is 

 given to the whole area. In the case of an irregular 

 forest of uneven age, the first two methods are even 

 less suitable to its requirements. To such the group 

 method is much better adapted, as the fellings are only 

 carried out where they are required. 



To illustrate this method, Fig. 75 represents a 

 block of forest in which the points marked a are found 

 to be the most suitable for starting the regeneration 

 fellings. It may be that at these spots there is already 

 a number of seedlings (advance-growth) which have 

 sprung up unaided. If so, the fellings may at once 

 partake of the character of seed-fellings, or even of light 

 after -fellings if this advance -growth is sufficiently 

 abundant or well established. But supposing that 

 preparatory-fellings are needed, when these have been 



