n 4 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



their financial maturity, at about a hundred and 

 forty to a hundred and sixty years, when the 

 stems should be quite as large as would be those 

 of two hundred years of age if grown in regular 

 highwoods as a pure crop of oak. 



The regeneration of such woods and groups as 

 above described can easily be accomplished if the 

 soil has been properly protected. If the oak has 

 been grown along with beech, however, it may 

 often be best to regenerate the latter naturally in 

 the manner to be described in the next chapter, 

 while the oaks for that new crop can be intro- 

 duced wherever desired by means - of planting 

 stout healthy transplants. Otherwise the specific 

 method of regeneration must of course depend on 

 the nature of the underwood. If that be thick 

 and likely to spring vigorously from the stool 

 when cleared from the ground, nothing will re- 

 main but to put out stout oak plants strong 

 enough to hold their own, with assistance in the 

 way of weeding and thinning, against the coppice. 

 But if the woods have been thick enough to be 

 nearly pure oak at last, beneath the canopy of 

 which the underwood is not of very vigorous 

 growth, this can be cleared away and utilised 



