102 THE PRINCIPLES OF HANDLING WOODLANDS 



A specific illustration may he taken from northern 

 Washington. A given area was swept by a fire about 

 50 years ago. Portions of the forest were destroyed, 

 and natural reproduction filled them with excellent stands 

 of Douglas fir. There are to-day blocks of the old for- 

 est, separated by the young stands. This old forest con- 

 sists of Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock. The trees are 

 from 3 to 6 feet in diameter, and from 150 to over 200 

 feet high. There is a large amount of defect in all the 

 species, the fir being especially unsound. A clear-cut- 

 ting is demanded for the following reasons: 



1. The trees are deteriorating, and public interests 

 demand that they be utilized and the ground restocked 

 with a new, growing stand. 



2. The timber is so large that donkey and cable 

 logging is required, necessitating a large yield per acre 

 for a profitable operation, and making it impracticable 

 to return a second time for a few trees per acre. 



3. The trees are so large that their subsequent 

 removal from among young growth would result in 

 extensive destruction. 



4. The old trees are so large and valuable that the 

 leaving of over two trees per acre would equal the cost 

 of artificial planting. 



5. Natural reproduction of Douglas fir on the coast 

 takes place best on openings where the mineral soil is 

 exposed. 



The case is, therefore, simple. The blocks of old 

 timber are restricted in size. About them are stands of 



