16 Agricultural Experiment Station [Bulletin 337 



SPRUCE AND FIR 



Successful management of the spruce and fir stands in Coos 

 County for sustained production over a period of years has two main 

 objectives: (1) Stands must be perpetuated through adequate repro- 

 duction, and (2) immature trees must be protected at time of cutting 

 to permit the building" up of larger growing stock. The type of cut- 

 ting and the time at which it is done will be of primary importance in 

 the accomplishment of both objectives. No set rules can be set forth 

 for the whole area because treatment will vary with individual stands. 

 However, certain fundamental principles can be presented to serve 

 as a basis for making decisions regarding any particular area. 



The pulpwood producer must base whatever form of forest man- 

 agement he practices on the presence or absence of advance reproduc- 

 tion growth. If desirable young growth is coming in under the older 

 overstory, the problem will be to bring this along and at the same 

 time cut the older timber in a way to get the most out of it. There 

 can be considerable flexibility in handling these stands. Less flexi- 

 bility is possible when reproduction is lacking. In the latter case, 

 cutting must be of the type most likely to establish young growth 

 before the final removal of older trees is efifected. Thus the method 

 of cutting used will depend on the ease with which stands are re- 

 generated. The easily regenerated stands are either pure stands of 

 spruce and fir or those in which the hardwood element is chiefly paper 

 birch and yellow birch. On such sites there is usually sufficient ad- 

 vance reproduction with which to work. Several methods of cutting — 

 single tree selection, group selection, and clear-cutting — are well 

 adapted to these stands. 



The single tree selection type of cutting' should be used if pos- 

 sible, in order that an all-aged forest will be developed. The removal 

 of scattered individual trees from the stands will increase growth of 

 other favored trees. The two-fold objective of making the most of 

 growing stock already established and of securing satisfactory repro- 

 duction should result. 



The pure stands of spruce and fir may be clear-cut if reproduction 

 is at least two feet in height at time of cutting and if the site is un- 

 favorable to the encroachment of hardwoods. Once the old growth 

 has been removed, the new stand will usually develop rapidly enough 

 to compete with brush and other growth. The young growth must 

 be protected from logging damage, windthrow and fire. 



The management of the mature mixed hardwood-softwood type 

 will be governed largely by economic factors. If the market is favor- 

 able, best results will be obtained by removing all merchantable hard- 

 wood and softwood at the same time. Demand for hardwood pulp 

 in the Colebrook area should make such a practice feasible. Repro- 

 duction in this case should be at least four feet in height prior to cut- 

 ting. Eight to ten years after logging, one weeding likely will l)i' 

 necessary to insure the maintenance of the spruce composition ratio. 

 Undesirable species should be cut back to prevent their overtopping 

 the slower growing spruce. 



