130 



PRACTICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



Spruce 

 and silver 

 fir. (Picea 

 Morinda, 

 Abies 

 Pindrow.) 



It is possible that strips foiling against the sun would solve the 

 difficulty, but the regeneration of these unfavourable areas is a 

 question which still awaits solution. 



" The ideal seed-bearer for chir is a mature tree with a good 

 rounded crown. The younger trees with pointed crowns usually 

 bear less seed, though in Jaunsar a crop of such younger trees 

 does apparently bear enough to restock an area with seedlings 

 within 20 or 30 years. Abundant seed occurs every third or fourth 

 year. 



" The knowledge of the silvicultural requirements of the 

 Indian spruce and silver fir 54 is at present very limited, and the 

 possibility of exploiting these species, which now for the first time 

 presents itself, will be utilised to try various methods of regenera- 

 tion and various amounts of illumination of the soil with a view 

 to the discovery of the exact silvicultural requirements and peculi- 

 arities of these trees and the most suitable way of inducing 

 their reproduction. It is believed that it will be found that the 

 admittance of considerable light will be necessary to obtain the 

 natural reproduction of the spruce, indeed all the observations 

 and experiments so far made go to show that this tree requires 

 as much light as deodar and it has been observed that while seed- 

 lings of silver fir will persist in dense shade, yet their development 

 under these conditions is much retarded, even to such extent that 

 saplings 20 feet in height have been found to exceed 40 years in 

 age. It is believed that at the high elevation at which it grows 

 even the silver fir will require a certain amount of illumination 

 in order to induce its natural reproduction and that once repro- 

 duction has been obtained, full light will be necessary for its 

 proper growth and development. Whenever patches of advance 

 growth may be found there is no reason why the principles of the 

 group system should not be made use of, and the advance growth 

 thus found utilised as the nucleus of a future group. Generally 

 as in the case of the Eegular Circle, the marking officer will so 

 manipulate the canopy of the mother trees as to obtain natural 



" Kulu Working "Plan TREVOR. 



