INTERMEDIATE CUTTINGS 79 



instead of cutting them at the base. They should be lopped back 

 far enough so that the tops of the trees to be freed are above 

 them. 



One is tempted in making a cleaning to remove all trees of 

 inferior species, all shrubs, and all poor individuals from the 

 stand. But from both the financial and silvicultural standpoints 

 only the 'material should be cut which is actually hindering the 

 development of better trees. If all inferior species were to be 

 cut, great gaps might be left in the stand, since there may be no 

 valuable trees in mixture with the poor ones. In such a place 

 a cleaning need not be made. 



A small hatchet or a brush hook is an excellent tool with which 

 to make cleanings where the materiai is small or the tops are to be 

 lopped, but often in stands five to ten years of age an axe is 

 needed. 



Inasmuch as a cleaning is in such young stands that no mer- 

 chantable material is secured from the cutting, it results in a 

 present financial loss. Cleanings should only be made where a 

 small expenditure will be justified by the improved development 

 of the stand. A stand of white pine overtopped by gray birch 

 is an example of where they are justifiable. The forest of nearly 

 pure pine which can be secured by removing the over-topping 

 birch will be so valuable as to more than pay the expense of the 

 cleaning. 



The cost depends so largely upon the amount and size of the 

 material to be removed that it may range from a few cents to 

 several dollars per acre. An expenditure of more than $3 per 

 acre for a cleaning is usually unnecessary and the work can often 

 be done for 25 to 50 cents per acre. 



As a general rule cleanings should be made as needed in all 

 plantations to protect the planted species, and wherever there 

 is a wide difference in value between the species being injured 

 and the one injuring it. A cleaning is an intensive forestry 

 operation and hence in many places is impracticable. 



2. Liberation Cuttings. Liberation cuttings are used in 

 young stands from a year or two old to those of middle age. 



