12 MISC. PUBLICATION 11, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



what the phin is designed to accomplish. AVheii the aims of manage- 

 ment are clearly understood, the making of a plan is greatly 

 Aimi)liHed. 



'J he statement of |)urposes shouhl include : 



1. The chief products to be grown, such as saw logs, ties, mine 

 timbers, pulp wood, or naval stores. 



2. Wluit markets are to be supplied — general, local, or both. 



3. The i)art which the output of the working circle will play in 

 local economics; the si/e and kinds of permanent industries tliat can 

 l)e supplied; the communities that will be stal)ili/ed; and the need 

 for secuiMug new industrial undertakings to use the allowable cut 

 and to enlarge the existing eommunities. or the necessity for a leduc- 

 tion in the local industries to a scale that will mako it possible to 

 supph" them with timber permanently — in general, the responsibility 

 of the management so to handle the timber resources as to give the 

 greatest jtermanent local industi'ial benehts. 



4. Whether conditions now permit the adoption of su.stained yield 

 or of only a continuous yield iluctuating in volume. In some unusual 

 cases plans can now be made for nothing better than a perioilic yield. 



5. 'riie changes in the proportion of age classes or in the composi- 

 tion of forest ty])es which are desired and which are or may beccjme 

 practicable. 



C. The indirect forest benefits to be maintained or bettered, such 

 as watershed protection or recreational attractiveness. 



7. The jiermanent transportation facilities which can be brought 

 in or maintained i)y the wise handling of tiie timber resource. 



SILVICULTURAL TREATMENT 



The aim of silvicultural treatment in the national forests is to 

 leave each cut-over acre in the best possible condition for the pro- 

 duction of a succession of crops of timber, each crop approaching as 

 near as professional skill can bring it to the full productive cajnicity 

 of the site and type. The silvicultural treatment to be prescribed for 

 each of the forest types will, of course, be chosen to lit in with and 

 carry out the objectives of maiuigement. As a rule, satisfactory 

 silvicultural methods have been worked out for each of the major 

 commercial types in the national forests. For such types it is usually 

 necessary only to decide which of the conventional methods will best 

 fit the situation, but often the marking policy and instructions will 

 need modification in order to meet the needs of the particular 

 .-situation. 



Management i)lans should not be nuide or construed so as to limit 

 the continuous development and refinement of silvicultural practice. 

 The forester often has serious limitations iuiposed ui^on him in his 

 prescriptions for silvicultural treatment by the prevailing utilization 

 practices based on local economics and therefore bej'ond his control. 

 The situation may for the time being force a compromise between 

 the desirable and the attainable. Such a situation, however, should 

 not be accepted with com|ilacencv nor with the conviction that it will 

 last forever. The last 20 years has witnessed remarkable advances 

 in utilization; nearly every region has seen some or all of its "in- 

 ferior " species come into active demand and its unmerchantable 



