FOREST PASTURE. 43 



affect the damage done by grazing, it is not surprising that 

 practical foresters should differ greatly in their estimates of 

 its amount in different cases. Whilst a forester having cop- 

 pice-with-standards to deal with may consider the amount of 

 damage done as very considerable, another in charge of spruce 

 forest under the clear-cutting system may look upon it as 

 quite trifling. 



It is, however, clear from the experience of grazing in 

 so man}' mountain forests in the Harz, Black Forest, etc., 

 where thousands of head of cattle have grazed for centuries, 

 and the forests are still flourishing, that well-regulated forest 

 grazing may be admitted wherever its necessity for the welfare 

 of the people is very pressing; a great resource in times of 

 drought may also be secured to the people by opening portions 

 of State and other forests for pasture at such seasons. 



Under certain circumstances, where the ground under a 

 seeding-felling is covered with tall herbage, or a dense mass 

 of dead leaves and moss, temporary driving-in of cattle may 

 prov« useful, and also in the case of a plague of mice, or of 

 insects, when their larvae or pupae are on the ground. 



(12) Protective Measures. 



The regulation of forest pasture may be considered under 

 the headings : — close-time, arrangement of grazing areas, season 

 for grazing, species of animal, number of animals, control and 

 protective staff. 



(/. Close-time. 



Close-time is the period during which a wood should not be 

 opened to grazing. It commences with the regeneration of 

 the wood, and terminates when the young trees can no longer 

 be reached by the animals, in the pole stage. The length of 

 the close-time depends on the species of tree, the system of 

 management, the circumstances of the locality, and the kind 

 of gi-azing animal. 



Broadleaved species, especially slow-growing ones, require 

 a longer close- time than conifers ; high forests, a longer close- 

 time than coppice. In the case of mixed woods, the length 

 of the close-time will depend on the most endangered species. 



