38 FORESTRY 



oaks and other nut trees. These trees form types which 

 are more or less subject to injuries, and may vary from 

 century to century in composition, but still will maintain 

 their general character. The great hardwood forests of 

 the Appalachians and the original hardwoods in south- 

 ern New England belonged to this class. Upon the best 

 soils, with perfect drainage and plenty of moisture, we 

 might find a type marked by white oak, beech, hickories 

 and chestnut. On soils a little more moist, and sometimes 

 too wet, these species would be handicapped, and weaker 

 kinds not able to compete in growth or tolerance, but 

 capable of surviving a slight excess of moisture would 

 form a type differing very decidedly in composition from 

 the first. White ash, white elm, sour gum, red maple and 

 others would form such a type. 



Next in the scale of permanence would come types 

 found in rather dry soils. Such soils are either shallow 

 or loose and sandy, and in either case they are exposed 

 to both wind and fire to a much greater extent than bet- 

 ter soils. Consequently, fires and blow downs occur as 

 a regular feature. The species best adapted to such sites 

 are the pines, and we -find all sandy soils occupied by some 

 species of pine, if the/ are not too dry to prevent the 

 growth of pine altogether, as in deserts. 



Very often small oaks come in under such species as 

 white pine and, owing to their inability to sprout, the pines 

 may fail to renew themselves when cut or burned. This 

 leaves the oaks, which grow into a scrubby forest, and 

 the type has changed. So apt io this to happen that it is 

 a common belief that pine will not succeed itself. Yet it 

 is one of the first principles of forestry that the trees 

 which will thrive best in any locality are those which have 

 grown best on that site in the past. Under natural condi- 

 tions, if fires are not too severe or widespread and pine 

 seed trees survive, pine will come in again after fire or 

 windfall, as at first, and the type remains the same. It 



