50 FOEESTEY 



be distributed and the seedlings have a chance to become 

 established before the last of the old trees are gone. There 

 are many modifications of this plan in use in Europe, 

 but all have the common feature of leaving part of the 

 merchantable timber standing after the first cut, to be 

 removed later on. This, to the American operator, means 

 increased expense. 



Silvicultural Systems. 



Strip and Group Systems. One plan, known as the 

 strip system, is to cut strips through the forest, whose 

 width does not exceed the distance to which seeds will be 

 blown from the adjoining strips which are not cut. This 

 plan has been used in Montana in lodgepole pine with some 

 success, in a region where it was possible to sell all the 

 small material removed by clear cutting. A modification 

 of this system of clear cutting is to cut in groups or 

 patches leaving the surrounding timber for seed and pro- 

 tection. Species which are shallow rooted and require 

 considerable protection from drought as well as wind are 

 reproduced best by this plan, which is being practiced 

 in the mountains of Colorado on the Engelman spruce. 



Clear Cutting with Seed Trees. A still further ap- 

 proach to clear cutting is the removal of almost the en- 

 tire stand, leaving seed trees to secure the second crop 

 of seedlings. On the Minnesota National Forest it was 

 specified by law that 5 per cent of the merchantable tim- 

 ber should be allowed to remain as seed trees. The spe- 

 cies were white and Norway pine, both of which come 

 up best in clearings. The important point in this method 

 is the selection of seed trees. In ordinary logging, if any 

 trees are left it will be the defective or rotten trees which 

 the lumberman does not see a profit in handling. Such 

 trees will produce seed, and the seedlings will be vigor- 

 ous. Even if the seed trees are crooked or stunted it does 

 not necessarily mean that the seed produced will have 



