INTRODUCTION / 



young, middle-aged, and merchantable trees, which by 

 the old methods would often be destroyed, and to secure 

 from the forest the highest possible yield in the long run. 

 The highest possible utilization of the present product 

 requires only the application of ordinary modern business 

 principles. Forest production requires of the manager 

 not only practical business capacity but also knowledge 

 of the life and characteristics of the trees and forests, and 

 the methods of carrying out the objects of forestry in a 

 practical way. The forester, therefore, must be a man 

 trained and experienced both in modern lumbering and 

 also in the art of forest production, which, in technical 

 language, is called silviculture. 



Definition of Silviculture 



Silviculture is the art of establishing, developing, 

 and reproducing forests. It comprises: 



1. The establishment of forest stands, by natural 

 reproduction or by artificial seeding or planting. 



2. The improvement of woodlands, including thin- 

 nings for the betterment of their composition and the 

 enhancement of the quality and growth of the trees, 

 pruning, and all other work of improvement. 



The protection of woodlands from fire, insects, and 

 other damage is not always dealt with in books on silvi- 

 culture. The need of protection is so urgent in this 

 country, however, and the successful handling of wood- 

 lands depends so much on securing their safety, that the 

 subject is given a place in this volume. 



