APPLICATION OF THE METHOD. 93 



CHAPTEK III. 

 IRREGULAR HIGH FOREST. 



OUR irregular high forests are the consequence of 

 two principal methods of treatment, " Tire etAire," 

 and the selection method. 



" Tire et Aire." 



The method known as " Tire et Aire" has not 

 been applied to high forest in France for about the 

 last fifty years. It will be enough for us then to say 

 in what it consisted and to appreciate its results. In 

 this method of treatment, high forest was so worked, 

 that equal areas were cut over every year successively 

 in the order in which they follow each other on the 

 ground ; the forester never returned to make improve- 

 ment or any other cuttings, and ten trees were left as 

 reserves on a forest " arpent" or eight trees per acre. 

 The rotations adopted were generally long. 



Thus, then, nothing was done either to obtain 

 natural reproduction or to ensure the maintenance 

 and improve the growth of the valuable species. 

 But owing to the length of the rotation, seedlings 

 appeared under the old crops, as soon as these began 

 to admit a little light, and maintained themselves, 

 thanks to the high cover which resulted from the 

 forest growing up in a state of leaf-canopy during a 

 long period of time. Nevertheless, in climates and 

 soils favourable to the beech, this tree frequently 

 took possession of the ground to the detriment of the 

 oak, which, in addition, had to struggle against the 

 soft-woods that are so numerous and vigorous in 



