14 



FORESTRY IN NEW ENGLAND 



Even and Uneven-aged Forests. 



If several specimens of the paper or canoe birch in a stand 

 grown on an old burn are cut, it will be found that the ages vary 

 but httle, as, for example, from twenty to twenty-five years. 

 In Connecticut it has been the practice of farmers for over a 



Fig. 2. 



A virgin forest of a mixed uneven-aged character. Spruce, yellow birch, 

 paper birch, maple and beech are the chief species. 



century to cut their wood lot "clean" whenever the trees were 

 of a sufficient size to furnish the material desired. This was 

 formerly cordwood, but during the past generation the use of 

 coal has become so general that other products are now taken 

 from the wood lot. In either case it has been the custom to cut 

 all the trees on a certain area. These are of species that sprout 



