FOREST MANAGEMENT 6l 



of 1.75 metres (6 feet) above the first incision. If the tree 

 is very thrifty this ratio can be increased from 2.5 to 3, or 

 if not vigorous dropped to as low as 2. Normally the height 

 is 2.5 times the circumference measured at breast height out- 

 side the bark. This height can be increased every 18 to 24 

 years, say with every third crop. 



It was formerly the practice to remove only one-half to one- 

 third the total height covered by the first peeling, but it is now 

 considered better to remove at one time all the bark which the 

 tree can produce. After the cork has been peeled 4 to 6 times, 

 over a period of 44 to 66 years, the trees lose their producing 

 capacity and fail to yield enough cork to cover the cost of peel- 

 ing and collection. It is then that these overmature trees are 

 cut for tannin and fuel. 



Since the clearing of underbrush is so expensive that it can 

 ordinarily be attempted only on fire Hues or where plantations 

 must be undertaken, and since the cork oak retains its sprout- 

 ing capacity until a very late date, it is always advisable to cut 

 back trees level with the ground, if they have been damaged 

 by fire. 



Aleppo Pine. — Next to the cork oak the aleppo pine has the 

 greatest commercial possibilities of any species in Algeria. If 

 it can, as seems probable, be properly developed to yield resin, 

 this potential value will become a fact. 



Conservator Laporte at Oran has started progressive experi- 

 ments on a practical basis, to determine whether or not tapping 

 is feasible. Work has begun in the "chefferie" of Telegh-^ 

 which comprises some 108,412 hectares (267,886 acres) at an 

 average elevation of 1000 metres (3280 feet) and where in 

 winter snow occasionally reaches a depth of 0.3 to 0.6 metres 

 (i to 2 feet). The aleppo pine is found here in almost pure 

 stands with an infrequent mixture of holm oak and thuya. 



A trial tapping was commenced in 1906 on a commercial 

 scale and is now extensive enough to justify the maintenance 

 of a still. The price fixed by the 1907 concession was 0.05 franc 



^^ Exploitations et Gemmage du pin d'alep. Laporte, Revue des Eaux et 

 Forets, October and November, 191 1. 



