The Principles of Landscape Forestry 



The Art of Managing Pleasure Woods, in Which Profit 

 Is of Less Importance Than Sport or Beauty 



By Wilhelm Millek 

 Division of Landscape Extension, Department of Horticulture, University of Illinois. 



DURING the eleven years when I frequently vis- 

 ited great estates I had the good fortune to meet 

 many persons who owned exceptionally beautiful 

 woodlands. When my advice was asked about the man- 

 agement of these woods I at first referred the owners to 

 the regular foresters. But soon I began to receive com- 

 plaints that the professional men could not get the point 

 of view of their clients. One trouble was that the com- 

 mercial forester wanted to cut down at once all the trees 

 that the owners valued most. When profit is the aim it 

 is quite right to harvest mature trees, but when a man 

 is keeping woods for pleasure he 

 does not like to see all his big- 

 gest trees cut down. A man of 

 twenty or thirty may be wil- 

 ling, because he expects to 

 see another generation of trees 

 grow to their full beauty, 

 but a man of fifty or sixty 

 expects to enjoy his woods 



years, 

 to be 

 period, 

 next gen- 

 keep the 



The great mass of mankind has a similar attitude about 

 street and shade trees, and that is one reason why the 

 tree-mending enthusiasm swept the country a few years 

 ago. As an editor I encouraged that movement, and even 

 now I cannot believe, as some do, that it has done more 

 harm than good. On the contrary, tree surgery has saved 

 thousands of grand, historic trees that otherwise would 

 have perished of neglect. Moreover, it has educated the 

 general public to take better care of trees. The com- 

 monest charge made against the tree surgeons is that their 

 prices are too high. Granting that this may be true, and 



only ten or fifteen 

 Therefore, much has 

 planned for that brief 

 especially when the 

 eration mav not 



place. Your Wall Street man 

 is not a sentimentalist in busi- 

 ness, but he is a sentimentalist 

 about his country home and 

 he has a peculiar sense 

 of comradeship with mature 

 trees. He recognizes that they 

 have a long record of solid 

 achievement, like his own. He 

 himself would not like to be 

 rudely set aside by the world 

 just when his judgment is best, 

 and he does not like to have his 

 trees swept away just when their 

 beauty is mellowest. The 

 thought of selling such trees for 

 profit is as repulsive to him as 

 betraying one's friends for 

 money. The average captain of 

 finance would rather spend 

 money to prolong their lives. 

 And, under the circumstances, 

 can you blame him ? 



Photo by A. G. Eldredge. 



BEFORE REVEALING A VISTA INSIDE THE WOODS 



Across this stream is an uninteresting mess of young trees, mostly of short-lived spec 

 maple. The removal of three small trees near the center of this photograph will giv 

 feature or vista-point. 



ies, like the soft 

 give a fine terminal 



969 



