APPLICATION OF COPPICE WITH STANDARDS. 167 



CHAPTEE III. 



APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF 



COPPICE WITH STANDARDS TO MIXED 



FORESTS. 



WE seldom find coppice with standards composed 

 of a single species ; it is, on the contrary, advantage- 

 ous to have a mixture of various kinds of trees. 

 The species commonly met with are the two principal 

 oaks, the hornbeam, beech, elm, ash, the service 

 trees, the maples, the alder, lime, birch, aspen, and 

 lastly willows and brushwood. It is obvious tha's 

 according to the soil and climate, the mixture will 

 contain a varying number of these species, in greatly 

 varying proportions ; but it is seldom that oak does 

 not exist in considerable numbers. 



Whenever oak is abundant, or can become abundant, 

 and favourable conditions exist for its growth, the 

 most important thing is to fix the rotation for the 

 underwood because its duration has a great influence 

 on the value of the reserve. A period of less than 

 twenty-five years is not to be thought of; and in 

 coppices where the term is shorter, there is every- 

 thing to gain, even for private proprietors, by pro- 

 longing it to twenty-five years as a minimum. The 

 interests of the community at large and conse- 

 quently those of the State require that the rotation 

 should approach as nearly as possible forty years 

 in forests belonging to the State. 



The rotation for the underwood once fixed, every 

 proprietor should inquire at what age he ought to 



