162 THE PRINCIPLES OF HANDLING WOODLANDS 



others, or some are in a position to stand a greater 

 amount of exposure. Ordinarily three or four removal 

 cuttings are required in the best practise. These are 

 made at intervals of from 2 to 4 years. 



Just as soon as the young trees have entered the stage 

 of rapid growth and are out of danger from exposure, the 

 final cutting is made. The last trees are usually taken off 

 in about ten years after the seed-cutting. 



The rapidity of the removal of the shelterwood neces- 

 sarily depends on the species and on the site conditions. 

 The operation progresses more rapidly with intolerant 

 than with tolerant species, with drought-enduring than 

 with moisture-loving species, with frost-hardy than with 

 frost-sensitive species, and more rapidly on favorable than 

 unfavorable sites. 



The most serious problem in the removal cuttings is 

 the damage to the young growth. With hardwoods, this 

 is very small, because the young trees bend over under 

 the weight of the falling trees, and many of them recover 

 when released. The damage is greatest with conifers. 

 If the reproduction is abundant and the logging done 

 with care, this damage may be kept down to an amount 

 so small as not to materially affect the final crop. In 

 Europe, it is customary to plant up the blanks made by 

 damage in the final cuttings or by other causes. 



Shelterwood Cuttings in Strips 



This is a modification of the method just described, 

 used principally when the uniform opening of a large 



