THE ART OF THE SECOND GROWTH 



stoolshoots; or the removal of seedlings and saplings belonging to 

 a less-desirable species competing for space in a young forest. In 

 natural seed regenerations, cleaning is particularly desirable. In- 

 stances: Removing poor coppice shoots which oppress by faster 

 growth the valuable seedlings of Yellow Poplar. Removing Birch, 

 Fire Cherry, Thorns and Briars in young plantations of White Pine, 

 Yellow Pine and Spruce. ^A^lere a regeneration area of strong soil 

 has been binned previous to planting, the competition of volunteer 

 growth is frequently such as to make cleaning necessary. The 

 forester should take care, however, not to extirpate species now of 

 little value, but possibly of a fair future value. 



In mixed regeneration, cleaning offers a good means to regulate 

 the proportion of the species admixed. The expense incurred for 

 cleaning must be commensurate to the financial efTect of the opera- 

 tion. Instruments used are axe and brush hook; also long-handled 

 cleaning shears. 



Occasionally, sheep or cattle allowed to come to pasture in the 

 woods do more good by cleaning than harm by preying on the 

 valuable seedlings. 



Where the Spruce comes up " as thick as 'the hair on a dog " 

 the Saxon forester considers it wise to traverse the thicket by 

 narrow lanes some three feet wide and some ten feet apart. 



Paragraph LX. Weeding in seed forests. 



A plant, either herbaceous or ligneous, whicli has a negative 

 value is a " weed." It might be a cripple of an otherwise very 

 valuable species (fire-crippled Chestnut in Pisgah Forest), or it 

 might belong to a species having no commercial value (Rhododen- 

 dron, Witch-hazel, Black Gum, Halesia, Cliinquapin, Alder, Beech). 



Weeding implies the removal of large saplings, poles and trees 

 having the character of weeds. Weeding may take place before 

 regeneration, or after regeneration has been started. It may act 

 incidentally as a preparatory cutting, a seeding cutting or a final 

 removal. It pays but indirectly since the stuff removed has a 

 negative value. 



The purpose of weeding might be the extirpation of sup- 

 pressors of young growth; or an exchange of unhealthy crooked, 

 fire-scalded, flat-headed poles for new, vigorous stump sprouts 

 (Spanish and White Oak at Biltmore). 



The term "weeding"' is not found in books on Sylviculture; it 

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