CHAPTER III 

 THE WORKING-PLAN DOCUMENT 



SECTION ONE 



CONTENTS AND FORM 



The working-plan document is the vehicle for recording 

 the saHent features of a forest bearing on its organization and 

 the detailed prescriptions of that organization for the next 

 working period. Simphcity and brevity are the key-notes. The 

 descriptive portion is usually confined to such short statements 

 as suffice to bring to the trained forester's eye the picture of 

 the forest as it is in its essentials, but, occasionally, a more 

 detailed description is warranted so as to make the plan compre- 

 hensible to a layman, e.g., where the plan is to be executed by a 

 layman-owner. 



In the interests of clearness and brevity data should be 

 tabulated wherever possible, e.g., estimates, stand tables, age- 

 class tables, etc. Maps, also, are a powerful aid in graphic 

 presentation of the data. 



The working-plan document may be confined to the silvi- 

 cultural management, or it may cover all the activities of a 

 forest such as general administration, grazing management, 

 permanent improvements, forest protection, and use of forest 

 land; in other words, be a complete forest plan. The desir- 

 ability of including these sundry subjects depends on their 

 importance and the purpose of the plan. National forests 

 usually require complete plans. Where other subjects than that 

 of silvicultural management are to be included, the descriptive 

 data preceding the plan proper must be amplified accordingly. 



The essential contents of a working plan confined to silvi- 

 144 



