688 



Canadian Forestry Journal, August, 1916 



our forests — the real science that 

 underhes the practice of silviculture 

 in this country, the life histories of 

 our species, the development of our 

 forest stands. 



What Is Silviculture? 



Silviculture is the application of 

 the knowledge of the requirements 

 of different kinds of trees to the per- 

 petuation of the existing forests, or 

 to raising new ones and working 

 them to the best advantage of the 

 forest owner. In other words, the 

 relation of silviculture to the utiliza- 

 tion of the forest should be the same 

 as the application of any science to 

 an industry. 



The practice of silviculture is pre- 

 dicated only on one condition ; name- 

 ly, that the land is to be maintained 

 in forest, just as successful agricul- 

 ture is based on the condition that 

 the land is to be used for the grow- 

 ing of field crops. And just as agri- 

 culture existed long before agricul- 

 tural colleges were established, so 

 some rough silviculture was prac- 

 ticed in this country before the 

 forest schools were born. Silvicul- 

 ture, as a matter of fact, is now be- 

 ing evolved in this country although 

 silviculturists may not even be 

 aware of it. Silviculture certainlv 

 can not be evolved from books only, 

 or in the class room ; it needs close 

 observation, original and careful 

 studies, and actual experience on the 

 ground. In the early days of log- 

 ging in Maine and throughout the 

 Northeast, as well as in the South, 

 when only the largest trees were cut 

 and logs 16 and \'^ inches in the top 

 were taken out, a selection system 

 of cutting was going on which re- 

 sulted in most cases in splendid 

 natural reproduction both of spruce 

 in the North and yellow pine in the 

 South. This method of logging was 

 in a sense silviculture, although un- 

 consciously practiced by the lum- 

 bermen ; it was a silvicultural 

 method which foresters, had they 

 been active then, could have advo- 

 cated for the perpetuation of the 



forest, and one fully in accord with 

 the economic requirements of that 

 time. If we free ourselves from the 

 mental shackles imposed upon us by 

 the manuals on silviculture, that the 

 practice of silviculture consists only 

 of using the several European silvi- 

 cultural systems, and take a broader 

 view of silviculture as any method 

 possible and justifiable under eco- 

 nomic conditions which may bring 

 about the perpetuation of the forest, 

 then silviculture can be practiced 

 and is being practiced today in this 

 countr3'\ It does not need to wait 

 until the stumpage prices increase 

 to the level of those in Europe, or 

 until the population becomes dense, 

 or until all . of our administrative 

 problems are settled. Silviculture is 

 l:)eing practiced, on land which is 

 maintained for forest purposes, the 

 moment cuttings begin. On such 

 land silviculture, as a matter of fact. 

 is inseparable from logging. It is 

 largely through the axe that silvicul- 

 tural plans are realized. . The first 

 cuttings on the National Forests in- 

 volved some practice of silviculture 

 Avhether we knew it or not. Pos- 

 sibly it was bad silviculture, but it 

 could just as well have been good 

 silviculture if we had known more 

 about it. If we do not practice good 

 silviculture it is not because the 

 time is not ripe for it, or because the 

 need for such silviculture does not 

 exist, but it is because our knowl- 

 edge is still inadequate and we do 

 not yet know enough of the life his- 

 tory of our species and of our forests 

 to be able to devise the most efficient 

 and practicable methods. If you 

 hear, therefore, an administrative of- 

 ficer say that he can not afford to 

 practice silviculture because of eco- 

 nomic limitations, because of the 

 cost of logging, because of other 

 more pressing problems on his 

 hands, you may be certain that he 

 is thinking of some German silvicul- 

 tural svstem and does not sufficient- 

 Iv analyze the actual situation. The 

 truth of the matter is that he can 

 better afford to postp9«e the regula- 



