SYSTEMS OF CLEAR-CUTTING 101 



in Europe and in the better-settled portions of this coun- 

 try. Applying this system is often the first step toward 

 organized silviculture in a forest, and the methods used 

 in the beginning may have to be very crude in compari- 

 son with the intensive work done in Europe. 



The first factor determining the manner of using the 

 svstem is whether the timber in a given stand can be 

 taken off in a series of clear-cuttings, each taking only 

 a part of the stand, or whether the conditions are such 

 that it is necessary to cut the bulk of the timber in one 

 operation. 



There are many areas on which the conditions of log- 

 ging are such that, in order to make a profitable opera- 

 tion, a large part of the timber must be removed at one 

 cutting. The cost of road construction, installing the 

 logging equipment, and transporting the logs, may be 

 so great that it would not pay to restrict the cutting in a 

 given stand to only 50 or 60 per cent, of the timber. 



Clear-Cutting the Whole Stand. The principle of 

 this system is to cut an entire stand clear, and rely for 

 reproduction on seed which may be distributed from 

 the trees in the surrounding stands. It is presupposed 

 that the area of the stand to be cleared is small enough 

 to enable a generous scattering of seed upon it. It very 

 commonly happens that there are blocks of old, valuable 

 timber, requiring a clear-cutting, which are surrounded 

 by younger timber that should be left standing and that 

 will furnish an abundance of seed. This is a very com- 

 mon occurrence in the forests of the extreme Northwest. 



