Foundations of Working Plans 



CHAPTER I 



PRELIMINARY BASIS 



SECTION ONE 



THE NORMAL FOREST AND ITS ATTRIBUTES 



At the very root of forest organization lies the idea of a 

 normal forest; that is, a standard with which to compare 

 an actual forest to bring out its deficiencies for sustained yield 

 management; a forest with normal age classes, in size and dis- 

 tribution, normal increment, and normal growing stock. 



Normal distribution of age classes requires that separate 

 age classes exist which will mature during each year, or longer 

 period, of the rotation, occupying areas whose yield will equal 

 the same per cent of the total yield of the forest for the rota- 

 tion as the period bears to the rotation. Thus, for a given 

 decade in a hundred-year rotation, the area maturing should 

 yield one-tenth of the yield of the forest during one hundred 

 years. Normal age class distribution in the strict sense of actual 

 location means such distribution of age classes as will permit 

 annual or periodic fellings to be made without damage to 

 adjoining stands. 



Normal increment is the best increment attainable by 

 given species on given sites. 



Normal growing stock is the amount of material represented 

 by the stands in a normal forest. 



Such a normal forest probably does not exist; it is merely 

 1 



