CHAPTEE IX. 



The 



system 



0.8 



existing 

 in the 

 past in 

 India. 



THE SELECTION SYSTEM. 



nnHIS system as carried out up to a few years ago consisted in 

 -- fixing an exploitable size and removing trees of these dimen- 

 sions in selection fellings by area or by a fixed number of trees. 

 Trees of smaller dimensions, if unsound, inferior or actually doing 

 harm, were cut in improvement fellings. Where a number of trees 

 were fixed, a stand table was prepared showing the distribution of 

 the diameter classes, and growth figures were compiled showing 

 the time taken for the trees to pass from one diameter class to the 

 next; figures were also estimated for the mortality suffered by each 

 class as it passes into the next class. The yield was then calcu- 

 lated on the basis of the number of class I (exploitable trees), the 

 number of class II (trees approaching maturity), and the time 

 taken for the latter to pass into class I ; the result was a number 

 of trees based on the relative numbers of the trees of the different 

 classes, but without any reference to their distribution on the 

 ground. This yield was then apportioned to certain definite areas 

 in each year of the felling cycle. 



Now the mere number of trees of the different diameter classes 



in the whole working circle gives no idea whatever of whether 



their distribution on the ground is in accordance with the 



principles of the selection system. In the area of the annual 



coupe the class I trees may exist in a crop of open canopy with no 



regeneration ; the youngest age class may be in dense masses and 



the class II trees may be scattered through the crop either as 



overwood suppressing the masses of young growth or as inferior 



specimens mixed up with but probably of the same age as the class 



I trees. On paper the distribution of the age classes is satisfactory, 



146 



