GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF THE FORESTS. 93 



EFFECT OF THE IMPROVEMENT CUTTINGS. 



"So far as can be judged at this early date, the improvement cuttings 

 seem to have accomplished what was expected of them. The appearance 

 of the forest where they have passed is much improved, and the young 

 trees which have been set free are doing well. . But, although it is too 

 early to pronounce definitely upon all of their effects, two facts seem to 

 have been established. These are, that large trees surrounded by a dense 

 growth of smaller ones may be felled and removed with comparatively 

 very unimportant injury to the young crop, and that the additional cost of 

 the necessary care, beyond that of ordinary destructive lumbering, is so 

 small as to be out of all proportion to the result. If this latter fact should 

 be established later on in other parts of the United States, as there seems 

 little reason to doubt that it will be, its importance to the future success 

 of forestry will be very great. Its value in practice is enormous." 



OUTLINE OF THE WORKING T>LAN. 



Under the Biltmore System the working plan is made elastic. Its gen- 

 eral objects are three in number: 1. For profitable production, giving 

 the forest direct utility. 2. A nearly constant annual yield, which gives a 

 steady occupation to a trained force under a permanent organization, and 

 making regular operations possible. 3. Improvement in the present con- 

 dition of the forest. 



REGULAR HIGH FOREST SYSTEM. 



"These general objects are to be attained by means of two systems of 

 management. On the east side of the French Broad the Regular High 

 Forest System will be adopted, and the Selection System on the west side. 

 In each case the rotation, or the length of time in which a second crop 

 becomes ripe on the same ground after the removal of the first, was fixed 

 at 150 years. In a theoretically perfect forest, under the Regular High 

 Forest System, there would be as many sub-divisions as there were years in 

 the rotation. The trees of each sub-division would be of equal age and 

 would differ from those of the next sub-division by one year. In the pres- 

 ent case, for instance, the oldest sub-division, bearing trees 150 years of 

 age. would be ready for the ax; and the cutting, after passing over it, and 

 then over all the others in succession, would reach it again at the end of 

 150 years." 



SELECTION SYSTEM. 



"The Selection Forest in its perfect state has trees of all ages mixed to- 

 gether everywhere instead of being separated into groups of uniform age. 

 The annual yield is taken each year from all parts of the forest. But under 

 such a method transportation would manifestly be too costly for American 

 conditions. Consequently, the Localized Selection System was adopted in 

 its place. Under it the annual yield comes from a restricted portion during 

 several years; then from another portion during a like period, and soon 

 until the cutting has passed over the whole forest. In the present case the 



