54 



FOREST VALUATION 



it is evident that planting should be avoided and the current expenses 

 cut to one half or less of the above estimate. 



5. The rotation is largey a matter of species, site and market 

 and also of treatment. The first condition is to produce material 

 which can be sold at fair price and in large quantities. Generally, 

 then, the market determines the size and quality while site, species 

 and method determine the time required to produce the demanded 

 size and quality. 



In central Europe oak requires over one hundred and fifty years, 

 pine saw timber and beech over one hundred and twenty, while 

 spruce and balsam are now commonly cut at about one hundred 

 years. 



The following figures of age, class, conditions for the timber 

 forests of all Germany are instructive in this connection : 



Area in 1,000 acres of different age classes in 1900. 



From a financial standpoint the temptation is to set a rotation 

 producing the largest Se or largest interest rate on the business. 



For spruce in Saxony state forests according to Schulze, the 

 following is true with present prices : 



Rotation 50-60 years, rate .made 5 % 



60-70 3-7% 



70-80 3.2% 



80-90 2.6% 



90-100 2.2% 



But if a rotation of fifty to sixty years was attempted on all 

 Saxon state forest lands the price of smaller sizes would drop and 

 the result would be a failure. Again, for large areas of poor sites, 

 IV and V, such a rotation would not produce marketable stuff at all. 



