n6 FOREST REGULATION 



many stands never grow as is expcccd and hoped, and must be cut 

 younger or left to grow older than is prescribed by the Rotation. 

 For these and other reasons some authors have suggested that Rota- 

 tion is an unimportant conception, and that it is useless to try to 

 decide on a definite Rotation. Even among foresters of experience 

 the opinion is not rare that Rotation is set by guess or feeling. The 

 fallacy of all this is evident from the foregoing. The table of net 

 incomes pictures faithfully what actually occurs in the forest regard" 

 less of the figures used, and if it makes land \vorth 25% more by 

 cutting at eighty years it is certainly poor policy to let the stuff go 

 to an age of 1 10 years and take a smaller per cent interest besides 

 much longer risk. That European Governments consider Rotation 

 of great importance has been stated. In addition it may be said that 

 Regulation of any forest demands establishment of a definite Rota- 

 tion, just as much as any big enterprise requires definite estimates. 

 Organization of large railway and other transportation systems is 

 usually based, of necessity, on assumptions which are probable but 

 never exact or certain. 



Experience of the last 100 years in Europe proves conclusively 

 that growth in the forest is sufficiently regular to be estimated to 

 any degree of accuracy here demanded. But it also indicates that 

 there is a limit to this degree of accuracy and that there is. no need 

 of hair-splitting, but that a range of 5-10 years must be conceded 

 even in Rotations of 60-100 years. 



Generally, longer Rotations demand larger capital in form of 

 timber, involve more risk for any one stand, tend to reduce rate of 

 interest on the capital, but make for larger income, per year and 

 produce a material of better price and a much larger market, and 

 usually are better for maintaining the site. 



f. Natural Rotation. 



In wild woods is the average life of the Species. In a pure 

 stand of intolerant species such as Lodge Pole, Longleaf, Loblolly 

 or Norway Pine, Tamarack, etc., the old timber, even though stands 

 open up considerably, prevents reproduction effectively. When once 

 the stand breaks it is readily hurt by storm and the great number of 

 defective, dying and dead trees also invite insect trouble and fire. 

 Accordingly these pure stands of hard pine and other intolerants are 



