THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF WORKING PLANS 141 



With the next rotation the method can still further approach 

 the sheltenvood system, if conditions are favorable, and the 

 period of reproduction reduced to from ten to fifteen years, 

 resulting in virtually even-aged stands. 



Where the selection forest is already even-aged in groups, 

 the transition can take advantage of this by emplo}ang the shel- 

 terwood-group method. 



The forest regulation consists in modifying the general 

 cutting plan to meet the changed conditions — i.e., a high cut 

 during the reproduction period followed by a cessation of cut- 

 ting until the young growth is merchantable, instead of the more 

 frequently recurring cutting cycles of the selection forest. The 

 general cutting plan is also extended so as to cover the entire 

 reproduction period (thirty to fifty years) instead of merely 

 a decade or so. 



III. Regulation of Wood-lots 



Wood-lots are seldom managed by a technically trained 

 forester, hence the prescribed regulation must be so simple, 

 clear, and direct that any layman can carry it out. The owner 

 of the wood-lot is interested chiefly in having a sustained yield. 

 This feature should, therefore, be emphasized by determining the 

 allowed annual and periodic cut as exactly as possible by area 

 or volume, or both. This should be incorporated in a detailed 

 general cutting plan and the cutting areas for the next working 

 period indicated on a map of the wood-lot. 



Where frequent revisions are possible, the prescriptions can 

 be confined to the next decade or so, but where frequent revisions 

 are out of the question the progress of management should be 

 sketched for the whole rotation as a guide to the owner. 



The regulation of cut in wood-lots must conform primarily 

 to the wishes and desires of the owner, but it can usually accom- 

 plish these without the waste incident to haphazard manage- 

 ment, and hence it is of the greatest value to draw up simple 

 working plans even for small wood-lots. 



