"76 PRACTICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



the greater the concentration and the fewer the number of 

 tfellings the better. These modifications while suited to a small 

 .forest estate under perfect management, such as the forest divisions 

 of France or Germany, are generally unsuited to the extensive 

 forestry of India. We shall therefore only consider the standard 

 shelterwood system as it is employed in practice. This method is 

 extensively used for sal throughout the United Provinces. It is 

 the standard system for chi r , and the deodar forests of Jaunsar 

 ;and Kulu and the blue pine, spruce and silver fir forests of the 

 latter division of the Punjab are being worked under this system. 

 It is simple and straightforward, ensures good silviculture, normal 

 regeneration, and the improvement of the stocking. The area under 

 this system of management is being continually extended and 

 it is much to be regretted that it was not adopted 30 years ago. 

 In practice it is not laid down that the selection of the seed trees is 

 to be carried out with mathematical exactitude ; every advantage 

 is taken of groups of advance growth and the standard system 

 modified to such small extent as may be considered desirable by 

 the forester in charge of the work. In the case of sal, coppice 

 reproduction from young stock is considered as desirable as 

 reproduction from seed and every advantage is taken of advance 

 growth, this being retained or cut back as may be necessary. 



777. The The theory of the selection system is well understood by 



selection foresters ; all age classes are supposed to be mixed up together on 



Yl 



the area and as the oldest trees ara removed in the fellings, so the 

 next age class take their place and a corresponding amount of 

 regeneration is obtained. In practice the selection wood is gene- 

 rally very different from this theoretical ideal. There has been 

 much correspondence in the Indian Forester on the subject of the 

 selection system. The advantages and disadvantages of the 

 system are summed up in Hawley's " Practice of Silviculture " as 

 follows : 



' The selection method with its uneven-aged form of forest 

 stands in sharp contrast to the other three previously considered. 



