66 



Small lirandit'.s, as well as the underground wood, are unsaleable. The 

 collection of small branch wood is permitted, and, where pi-acticable, the condition 

 is attached to the permission granted that what remains on the ground must be 

 burnt. 



< >f the larger branches and of the poles obtained by thinnings, small quanti- 

 liave as already mentioned, latterly been sold as hop-poles. A new demand 

 for small wood has fortunately arisen through the erection of paper-stuff 

 factories from wood, the first of which was built in 1874. There are four such 

 factories now in the vicinity, and to these it is due that much of the srnall- 

 si/eil >pnice timber, for this is the only kind used by them at present, can be dis- 

 posed of. 



The yield of minor forest produce in these districts in insignificant. Here, 



as elsewhere in the Black Forest, the spruce was formerly extensively tapped for 



resin and in Wolfsboden the collection of resin in a few places, where the old 



trees formerly tapped are still standing, is still let out, but this will soon cease, 



the old trees are being cleared away rapidly. 



REGENERATION OF THE FOREST. 



In some cases, for instance where a large proportion of old trees formerly 

 tapped for resin are on the ground, it is necessary to clear and plant, but, as a 

 rule, the system followed is to rely upon natural reproduction as much as possible, 

 and this necessitates the gradual cutting of the mature stock. It has already 

 been stated that the mean age at which the timber in these forests is cut is 120 

 years. When the time arrives for commencing cuttings in a compartment which 

 has attained that age, the first operation is to clear away all soft woods and use- 

 less brushwood, and to cut out any advance growth that may be on the ground 

 and that may not be suitable to form part of the young forest intended to be 

 produced. After this follow in succession a series of cuttings more or less 

 heavy, the beginning being made with the removal of all oppressed, damaged 

 and diseased trees. These successive cuttings are generally continued in these 

 ranges during a period of from 30 to 40 years. Thus in 1858, when a prelimi- 

 nary cutting had already been made, compartment 31 of Block 2 in Wolfsboden 

 was stocked with a forest of two-thirds spruce, and one-third silver fir, contain- 

 ing 800 cub. metres per hectare, 11,432 cub. feet per acre. In 1864 the first 

 heavy cutting removed 200 cub. metres per hectare (2,860 cub. feet per acre). 

 Afterwards five successive cuttings were made, which only left 80 cub. metres 

 (1,143 cub. feet per acre), in 1887. Meanwhile the ground has got well stocked 

 with young growth, and the remaining old trees will probably be cleared away 

 by 1896. This long period of regeneration is necessary, because seeding years 

 in the cold climate of these districts are scarce, in the case of spruce and silver 

 fir every fourth or fifth year, and in the case of beech once in 8 to 10 years. But 

 there is another object besides, viz. the great increase in timber of the trees left 

 standing in a more isolated position after each successive cutting, hence the 

 practice is to keep the most vigorous trees to the last. In the case of the silver 

 fir, groups of younger trees or single trees are left standing after the series of 

 cuttings has been completed ; they form part of a new forest growing up, and 

 will be cut, when the next rotation comes round, having then attained an age of 

 200 years or more. 



