182 NATURAL REGENERATION 



NATURAL REGENERATION OP WHOLE COMPART- 

 MENTS OP EVEN-AGED HIGH FOREST. 



The usual method of effecting natural regeneration under 

 a shelter wood of mother trees is by making several fellings 

 and gradually clearing the mother trees off the ground. It 

 will be convenient to consider this method under three 

 headings : 



(1) Preparatory Fellings. 



(2) A " Seed Felling " or *' Regeneration Felling." 



(3) Gradual Clearance of Mother Trees. 



(1) Preparatory Fellings. These consist of very heavy 

 thinnings, and may or may not be necessary, according to 

 the state of the land and the density of the crop. 



The great object is to obtain a good seed-bed, and trees 

 which will bear plenty of seed towards the end of the rota- 

 tion, when it is desired to bring about the natural regenera- 

 tion. If the trees are growing very close together, there 

 will probably be a thick soil covering of undecayed leaves, 

 or " raw " humus, as it is termed. Such a condition would 

 be quite unsuitable for a germinating bed for tree seeds, 

 supposing a "seed felling" were attempted at one operation. 

 When such conditions prevail, it is necessary to make a 

 preparatory felling, so as to cause the humus to decay more 

 quickly. But in many cases, especially on very dry silicious 

 soils, the land will have become acid or sour owing to the 

 slow decay of dead leaves. Such surface soil would never 

 produce a crop of seedlings of broad-leaved trees, as long as 

 it remained sour. The mere opening up of the canopy will 

 not suffice to sweeten the soil, but it will be necessary to 

 cultivate the land and, in most cases, especially if Beech are 

 to be regenerated, to apply lime. 



Furthermore, trees growing in close canopy would, if 

 suddenly exposed, be liable to suffer from sunburn, and also 

 to be thrown by the wind. And again, they would not be 

 likely to bear much seed (if any) for some years to come. 



Hence one or more preparatory fellings, or partial clear- 

 ances, are often necessary when the trees are approaching 



