i 9 oi. ' AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 15 



nomic conditions, but more often of the tolerant of shade, as for example' the Adi- 

 condition of the forest itself. The Spes- rondack Spruce. In the case of pure woods 

 sart, from the standpoint of the forester, of Spruce, the struggle for existence is 

 is not in good order. Its old Oaks and prolonged indefinitely and the stand re- 

 Beeches are still of high value, but many mains dense to a great age, because each 

 of them long ago passed their maturity. tree which helps to form it, possesses the in- 

 To leave them standing, is to incur loss herent power to endure excessive and long 

 from two sources: from the decay of the continued shade with but little detrimentbe- 

 timber they contain ; and because the space beyond decrease in its rate of growth. With 

 thev occupy in the forest might be filled the Spessart Oak, the case is different, 

 by sound healthy young trees, producing The tree needs so much light, that it soon 

 wood of good quality at a comparatively succumbs to suppression. The struggle 

 rapid rate. The best sylvicultural meas- for existence is consequently short, the 

 ure would be, to remove, as soon as pos- stand thins out rapidly through the death 

 sible, all these Oaks and Beeches which of over-topped trees and becomes sparse 

 have passed their maturity, without regard and open at an early age. This may not 

 to the limit prescribed by the sanctioned seem to be a matter of much importance. It 

 annual yield. Then, after the forest has is, however, a source of so much difficulty, 

 been put in good condition, by these "im- that it has rendered the raising of Oak 

 provement cuttings," further utilization timber in pure woods impossible in Ger- 

 might be based upon its actual production, many. Not only does it prevent, by the 

 without danger of this production being in formation of an insufficient, scanty stand, 

 a measure offset by the presence, in the the full utilization of the space it occupies, 

 forest, of trees, which are not only growing but also results in the reproduction of 

 exceedingly slowly, but many of which are short, branchy trunks and knotty defective 

 losing rapidly in value through decay. timber. One of the most incontrovertible 

 However, in the Spessart, in order to con- of sylvicultural laws establishes the im- 

 tinue to provide the peasants of the neigh- possibility of raising timber of good qual- 

 borhood with material for their sawmills ity in a wood which has been open from 

 andforthemanufactureof staves, it is neces- an early age. For the production of long, 

 sary to cut upon exceedingly conservative cylindrical trunks free from branches, 

 lines. The Oak of this region is divided trees must have light from above, but as 

 into three well-defined classes, in point of little side light as possible, 

 age : Class I comprises Oak of about 400 Realizing that it would be impossible 

 years old. Class II, Oak 250 years old, to grow Oak timber in pure Oak woods, 

 and Class III, Oak 100 years old. In order, the Bavarian foresters had to find some 

 therefore, to maintain a sustained annual other means of growing it. They turned 

 yield, Classes I and II, both of which are to nature, and they found that Oak does 

 merchantable timber, must be removed not occur pure in the Spessart, but seat- 

 slowly enough to allow Class III to be tered in small groups and single trees 

 ready for the market by the time the re- among the Beech. They saw that the 

 moval of Classes I and II is effected. Oaks growing in this way were tall and 

 Since the Oak is the more desirable tree straight, clean boled and cylindrical, and 

 in the Spessart, producing timber of high finer upon the whole than any Oak they 

 value while the Beech as a species suit- had seen elsewhere. They noticed also 

 able only for firewood is subordinate in that the Oaks were everywhere older than 

 importance, the first object of the manage- the Beech, with their crowns well above 

 ment is the raising of merchantable Oak the leaf cover of the latter and forming 

 timber of as good a quality and in as short what is called a " two-storied forest," the 

 a time as possible. The Oak being a Oak above and the Beech below, 

 tree exceedingly intolerant of shade, has It was evident that " the Oak must have 

 not the power of forming the dense ma- its head in the light and its feet in the 

 ture stands characteristic of trees strongly shade," and that growing singly and in 



