THE STRIP METHOD. 305 



SECTION III. 

 The strip method. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD. In this method also we make 

 preparatory, seed arid after-fellings, but the coupes do not extend 

 over large irregularly-shaped areas or coincide with well-defined 

 homogeneous groups, as in the two preceding methods respectively, 

 but form a succession of long parallel strips of equal width run- 

 ning right through the forest or division of the forest, as the case 

 may be. To take the simplest case, let us suppose that strip I 

 (Fig. 116), having gone through the preparatory and seed stages, 

 is now to be subjected to after-fellings ; then strip II will form the 

 seed coupe and strip III the preparatory coupe, the area beyond 

 being untouched forest, the regeneration of which is in due course to 

 follow. Thus in each coupe in its turn the successive regeneration 

 fellings follow one another in the same order as in the uniform 

 method and are based on the same principles ; but here also, as in 

 the group method due weight has to be given to the possibility of 

 lateral shelter and illumination and to seed coming in from border- 

 ing trees. As in the group method, the preparatory fellings and 

 even the seed-felling may become entirely superfluous ; but where- 

 ever they have to be made, should a group of advance growth be met 

 with, this group must be treated as in the group method. The 

 degree of assimilation in this respect with the group method will be 

 in proportion to the absence of homogeneity in the forest. 



If an interval ot several years elapses between one effective 

 seeding and the next, no seed-felling will obviously be made in the 

 intermediate years, but each year a new strip will be brought un- 

 der preparation, and when the next seeding occurs, the seed-felling 

 will be made at once over as many strips as have been under pre- 

 paratory fellings during that interval. When such is the case, 

 after-fellings will not, like the preparatory ones, progress by single 

 strips each year, but will be made over the entire number of strips 

 sown simultaneously. As seed-fellings always yield a large quan- 

 tity of produce, the deficit caused by their stoppage during any 

 year must be chiefly made up by repeating the after-fellings more 

 frequently than they would otherwise be made. 



The width of the strips will of course depend on the soil, climate, 

 configuration of the ground, component species, frequency and 

 abundance of seeding, difficulty of germination, &c. In a general 

 manner it may be said that the width will be in direct proportion 

 to the ease and certainty with which regeneration can be accom- 



