COMPARTMENTS. 



117 



and thinnings should first of all be laid out, though the roads 

 need not be finished or metalled till required for heavy trans- 

 port. The boundaries should be demarcated with numbered 

 posts or stones, and each compartment should be given a serial 

 number. Compartments in squares cause least waste of ground 

 for roads and rides, while rectangular compartments enable the 

 timber to be extracted with least haulage to rides or roads. 



The advantages of having numbered and demarcated compart- 

 ments are (1) any part of the woods can easily and accurately 

 be described or located on the map (e.g., for timber sales, out- 



breaks of fire, &c.) ; (2) they simplify the location, measure- 

 ment, and revision of annual or periodic falls, as the boundaries 

 are formed by roads, green lanes, or ridges ; (3) they open up 

 the woods and make extraction of thinnings and timber easier 

 and cheaper ; (4) trees next the boundaries become very firmly 

 rooted, and thus minimise danger of windfall ; (5) such breaks 

 assist in putting out fires, when they occur; (.6) they are useful 

 for shooting purposes ; and (7) they also help to reduce the 

 danger from insects, fungus diseases, &c. ^ 



Each compartment should be formed of land of as- uniform 

 a quality as possible, so that it may consist of the same class of 



