COMPARTMENT SYSTEMS 25 



neighbouring compartments, owing to the felling of any 

 particular compartment, will be much lessened. 



The compartments should be separated from each other 

 by grass rides or roads. Narrow rides about 12 to 15 feet 

 wide should run parallel to the longer side, and should be cut 

 more or less at right angles by broad rides or roads 24 to 30 

 feet wide. However, from sporting considerations alone, it 

 may be advisable to make the rides broader than this. 



(a) Compartments of Even-aged High Forest. This is 

 the most usual system adopted in growing timber, and the 

 method practically explains itself. At the end of the rotation, 

 the area is generally clear cut and replanted. Sometimes, 

 however, regeneration is brought about naturally, either by a 

 seeding from a light canopy of mother trees left standing 

 over the area, which method is specially suited for the 

 regeneration of beech, or else by a seeding from neighbour- 

 ing trees, on to a cleared area, in which case the seed should 

 be light and easily carried by the wind. This latter method 

 is suited for the natural regeneration of Scotch Pine or 

 Corsican Pine ; and in countries where the seed ripens 

 sufficiently, Larch may be regenerated in this manner. 



These even-aged compartments may be either mixed or 

 pure. All thickly foliaged shade-enduring trees may Ibe 

 grown pure, but thinly foliaged trees should not usually 

 be grown pure, because as they approach maturity the 

 canopy always becomes too thin, which results in an abun- 

 dant growth of rank grass, brambles, bracken, and the like. 

 However, under the following conditions, pure crops of thinly 

 foliaged trees are admissible, namely, when 



(1) High exposed elevations are being planted and shade- 



enduring trees would not be advisable ; 



(2) The rotation is very short ; 



(3) They are afterwards underplanted with shade-endur- 



ing trees. 



(&) Two-Storied High Forest. Under this system there 

 are, towards the end of the rotation, two crops of trees, of 

 widely different ages, growing on the same land. 



It is brought about by underplanting or undersowing an 



