HESTNUT IN TENNESSEE. 17 



IMPROVEMENT CUTTINGS. 



Improvement cuttings are made for the purpose of removing 

 defective trees, either old or young, and eliminating species of low 

 value. The object in making them is to obtain a stand formed 

 entirely of sound trees of desirable species. As a rule, they can 

 be conducted without cost only where there is a market for ma- 

 terial for low grade or small dimensions, and thus they are prac- 

 tically restricted to forests connected with farms or to those near 

 towns, shipping points, and tannic acid extract plants. 



In old timber they should remove spreading trees which are 

 overtopping vigorous thickets of young growth, and should reduce 

 the number of seed-bearing trees of slow-growing or low grade 

 species, such as black g*im, red maple, beech, and white oak. In 

 second-growth stands they should eliminate trees of slow-growing 

 species, individuals with large overtopping crowns and trees with 

 very crooked or short, forked stems, or sound trees of inferior 

 species should be removed. Small poplar may be cut for pulpwood, 

 and chestnut, and chestnut oak for tannic acid extract works. On 

 the Cumberland tableland, there is a demand for mine props ; near 

 towns and on farms fuel affords an excellent opportunity for dis- 

 posing of the products of improvement cuttings. 



THINNINGS. 



The object of thinnings is to accelerate growth. Consequently 

 they are of value only to young stands in which the trees will readily 

 respond to them. The smaller and less promising trees, even of 

 chestnut and other desirable species, as well as those of undesirable 

 species, are removed in successive cuttings, leaving a smaller num- 

 ber of very vigorous, well-spaced stems from which are selected the 

 trees that are to form the ultimate mature stand. All cuttings are 

 for the benefit of these select trees, and are made at frequent inter- 

 vals to prevent any check in their rate of growth. The prolonged 

 struggle between competing trees is thus prevented by greatly 

 reducing the number of stems per acre. The individual trees of 

 the mature thinned stand are probably no taller than those Jn un- 

 thinned stands, but they have so much larger diameters that the 

 yield of merchantable timber is greatly augmented. 



Thinnings should begin between the fifteenth and thirtieth year, 

 according to the rapidity of growth, size of trees, and density of 

 the stand. Sprout stands, because of their more vigorous growth 



