io8 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



closely and thickly stocked with highwood trees, 

 standards in copse, and coppice than now obtains 

 as the practice, if our woodlands are to be worked 

 so as to yield the largest returns on the capital 

 represented by the land and the crops of timber 

 it is bearing. 



There is only one way of enabling the young 

 trees to thicken rapidly in girth when once their 

 main growth in height has been completed ; and 

 that is to allow them, from that time onwards, 

 a larger space for the growth of each individual 

 tree. But this should only be effected gradually, 

 and it must never be carried to excess. If cut 

 free suddenly, so that each tree has almost an 

 isolated position, the effect of the freer enjoyment 

 of light and air is often to cause a strong growth 

 of young shoots below the crown of the tree, 

 which then becomes * stag - headed/ and dete- 

 riorates in value as timber. Even when the 

 damage does not actually proceed thus far, the 

 giving of more light and air than is necessary 

 under the circumstances tends always to make 

 the crown of foliage and the branch development 

 work down the stem, so as to interfere with 

 the ultimate value of the bole as clean timber. 



