184 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



they are finally suppressed in favour of the new 

 crop about to be formed. This of itself unfits 

 them for standards in copse, though otherwise 

 their light overshadowing of the underwood 

 would suit the position admirably 



' And variable as the shade, 

 By the light quivering aspen made.' 



On highwood areas clear felled for regenera- 

 tion, as sometimes happens with conifer crops, 

 birch, aspen, and willow, the trees producing seed 

 in largest quantities, and especially the former 

 two, often spring up freely as self-sown seed- 

 lings ; and then they become weeds, difficult to 

 exterminate owing to their strong reproductive 

 power and to their rapid growth in height. 

 Their removal, before regeneration is carried 

 out on the neighbouring land, becomes a matter 

 of necessity; while, if seedlings should obtain 

 a foothold there, they must be cut out re- 

 peatedly if necessary, otherwise the new crop of 

 more valuable pine or larch will be interfered 

 with and damaged by the less profitable soft- 

 woods. 



As the seeds are light and filamented, they 

 are easily borne by the winds into far-distant 



