^8 NATURAL REGENERATION 



beginning the inspector explained to the rangers the fine points of the 

 marking. In the area marked he illustrated the need of favoring beech, 

 especially trees with well-developed crowns, on account of the necessity 

 for plenty of seed. The trees cut were calipered and every record checked 

 by being repeated by the tallyman. All poor trees were cut, notwith- 

 standing the need of beech in mixture on account of its being insufficient. 

 The marking passed the long way with the cutting area, and in some 

 places it was noticed that regeneration was protected against rabbits by 

 wire netting. The marking was very carefully executed, and the first 

 time the rangers went over the felling area they merely blazed the trees 

 to be cut. As a protection they went over this same area a second time 

 to see whether mistakes had been made. At this second trip they 

 stamped and blazed the roots of the trees left, and in addition, because of 

 their great value, talHed the number of large trees left standing. It was 

 explained that seed felhngs were held up in 1911 and 1912 because of poor 

 seed years. The local inspector favored seed fellings by area as well as 

 improvement cuttings by area, since it would obviate extensive calcula- 

 tions of yield. 



Shelterwood for Maritime Pine. — The shelterwoocl system should 

 never be applied to maritime pine. Clear cutting is, and must be, the 

 invariable rule except in protection belts along the dunes. 



Shelterwood for Scotch Pine. — The shelterwood system is sometimes 

 apphed to Scotch pine. Here the seed felling is made very open, the 

 secondary felhngs are delayed and are rarely more than one or two in 

 number and the final felling comes early. It really takes on the aspect 

 of clear cutting with the reservation of seed trees [160]. The forest of 

 Ermenonville presents an interesting study in the treatment of Scotch 

 pine in the Paris region.^ The soil in the fourth, fifth, and sixth working 

 circles of this forest is quite sterile over some 3,672 acres and therefore 

 unsuitable for broadleaves. The rotation is 80 years of eight periods and 

 the regeneration is nominally by the shelterwood system, although the 

 results thus far, without sufficient artificial assistance, are very imperfect. 

 The forty to sixty seed trees per acre are chosen with care and distributed 



height. The trees marked for any cutting are usually tallied by five-centimeter classes 

 (2 inches) . If any marked tree is blazed twice on the bole it means that it must be limbed 

 and the top cut off before it is felled to prevent damage to existing reproduction. The 

 forest guards check the cutting after it is finished and go to every stump to see if the 

 tree was marked. If all right the stump is stamped on the top. The guards and rangers 

 are always on the lookout for windfall and dead wood. When found the tree is numbered 

 consecutively and the following data secured : serial number, circumference, and general 

 location. It is a guard's special duty to look out for windfalls in spring so that they may 

 be disposed of while they are still salable. 



8 Traitement du pin sylvestre dans la region de Paris, par L. Parde, Nos. 19 and 20, 

 March 1 and 15, 1905. Revue des Eaux et Forets. 



