196 ELEMENTS OF SYLVICULTURE. 



of protection is required in any special case. The 

 width of the belt worked by selection cannot but 

 vary with the height and form of the mountain. In 

 the case of mountains higher than the limit of forest 

 vegetation, the protecting belt should begin at least 

 200 yards below this line. If the summits them- 

 selves are wooded, the portion of forest treated by 

 the selection method ought to include them as well 

 as the higher slopes for a distance of from 100 to 150 

 yards. It is not always on the most elevated spots 

 that the force of the wind is greatest, for it is quite 

 as violent in the gorge formed by two contiguous 

 mountains and on the pass between them. Here 

 also the forest ought to be kept completely stocked, 

 and worked by selection. It is from having neg- 

 lected this precaution and the teaching of Rules III. 

 and IV. that we have to deplore the gradual and 

 complete denudation of large forest tracts. It is 

 now extremely difficult to restock these areas. Under 

 any circumstances restocking is very expensive, and 

 must often be effected with temporary species, it. 

 being impossible to introduce the permanent and 

 proper species of the locality at once. 



RULE V. It is obvious that if the longest 

 dimension of a cutting is perpendicular to the direc- 

 tion of dangerous winds, the winds soon blow over 

 it, and even if a few trees are broken or uprooted 

 they do not bring down others in their fall, as 

 would be the case if the wind blew in the direction 

 of the length of the cutting. 



