the Yale study. 1 On the heavily thinned plot 

 there were in 19.23 approximately 6,000 white 

 pine seedlings as old as five years. In the 

 unthinned plot of the same age there was not a 

 single living pine seedling as old as five years. 



The expense of converting hardwood forests to 

 pine forests is too great to be practiced on a 

 large scale, even if it were desirable. Since hem- 

 lock produces more lumber than oak in a given 

 period a controlling object in the management of 

 the Peoples Forest will be the gradual increase 

 of hemlock in certain of the hardwood stands by 

 natural means. Clear cutting and fire have com- 

 bined to eliminate the hemlock from much Con- 

 necticut woodland where it grew originally. The 

 comparative freedom from fire of the Peoples 

 Forest is undoubtedly the reason for the presence 

 of so much hemlock. The fact that hemlock was 

 not desired for charcoal in the earlier cuttings 

 also favored the reproduction of this species, for 

 the presence of one to ten hemlock per acre has 

 been found to be sufficient to produce a con- 

 tinuous understory beneath the next hardwood 

 crop. 1 When this hardwood upper story is cut 

 the understory of hemlock will develop into a 

 pure hemlock forest. There are considerable areas 

 in this forest which should be treated in this way. 

 Hemlock has the ability to grow rapidly in 

 diameter after long periods of suppression. 2 This 

 is in marked contrast to the former theory that 

 hemlock is naturally a slow growing tree. Fifty- 

 nine trees which had required an average of 11 



1 Yale Univ. School of Forestry. Bui. No. 20. 1927. 



2 Yale Univ. School of Forestry, Bui. No. 12, Merrill & 

 Hawley. 



39 



