9 



is open to doubt, so that the most typical grove -forests comprise, 

 also for this reason, chiefly leaf -trees, which have the power of propa- 

 gation also by shoots. Of the different species of birch, the B. odorata 

 is more suited to moistish sites and Betula verrucosa to dryer ground. 



In the fresh forest-types, fires and cultivation by burning have 

 assisted the spreading of the pine and hindered that of the spruce. 

 As an extremely great part of the forests of North Finland in parti- 

 cular have either sprung up after fires or been in touch with the latter 

 afterwards, it is plain that this matter has greatly influenced the pre- 

 sent distribution of the various species of tree. Cultivation by pre- 

 vious burning, which for the last fifty years has, particularly in the 

 eastern portion of the land, been in use as far north as the southern 

 part of the Parish of Kuolajarvi (up to the Arctic Circle), has had 

 varying effects, generally however such that the pine and leaf -trees 

 have become commoner at the expense of the spruce. Where this 

 method of cultivation has been more widespread, as in certain parishes 

 in Savo, in which as much as 75 % of the solid forest lands have 

 once been burned over, the spruce has become fairly rare. A renewal 

 of the burnings after the lapse of as short a period as 20 years has had 

 as result that even the pine has not had time to regenerate, but in- 

 stead, the forests have gradually become covered with stands of birch 

 and Alnus incana. 



With a view to the fact that only a comparatively small portion 

 of the cuttings carried out in Finland have been actual regeneration 

 cuttings from the standpoint of actual forestry, the spruce has on 

 the other hand become more common by reason of these cuttings than 

 would otherwise have been possible. All cuttings in which only cer- 

 tain species of trees are taken (cuttings of trees for pulp-wood, pit- 

 props, bobbins, the barking of trees for resinous wood, etc.,) have 

 naturally affected in their own manner the composition of the forests. 



On the basis of the foregoing it is possible to explain the fol- 

 lowing results, which show the comparative prevalence of different 

 species of trees in the various parts of the country and in the forests 

 of different proprietors. The species of forest (in smaller areas) is 

 decided by the predominating tree and the figures given are for fertile 

 forest land. 



Part of the Forest in 



Qnppipq of trPO State J int St Ck SaV and 



forests Co. forests Carelia 



in Savo average 



Pine 60 % 46.8 % 41 - 2 % 



Spruce 23 25.0 18.5 >v 



Birch 17 22. 7 27.7 



Aspen 4.o 1.8 >v 



Alnus incana 1.5 10.7 >^ 



Alnus glutinosa and Salix, etc O.i 



1813-22 2 



