﻿10 BULLETIN 13, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In New England, where nearly all the original growth was removed 

 many years ago, and where fires have as a rule been less destructive 

 than hi the Lake States, the lumber industry has already drawn 

 heavily upon the second growth. Within recent years the cut of 

 pine, which, in 1910, amounted to nearly 670,000,000 board feet, has 

 been almost wholly of lumber from second-growth stands. This, of 

 course, is much inferior to that from the original forests, chiefly 

 because it is knottier, smaller, and has a larger proportion of sap- 

 wood; yet its usefulness for box boards and other purposes which 

 do not demand large, clear stuff makes its aggregate value to New 

 England but little below that of spruce. A large proportion of the 

 young pine in New England has come in on abandoned farm lands, 

 which in the aggregate embrace a very large area. These lands, which 

 have proved themselves at least temporarily worthless for cultivation, 

 are especially adapted to the growth of the tree. Cleared land, subse- 

 quently cultivated, presents ideal conditions for the germination of 

 white-pine seed, and when a sufficient number of seed trees are near 

 the area a dense, even-aged stand of white pine is almost sure to take 

 possession of the ground. The growth of such stands is so rapid, 

 their management so simple, and their yield under short rotations 

 relatively so great that, for second growth, white pine is in many 

 cases superior to any other species. A certain percentage of valuable 

 hardwoods, such as white ash and black cherry, add considerably to 

 the value of the stand, not only because of the high value of their 

 wood, but also because when growing with them white pine produces 

 clearer trunks, smaller branches, and is less likely to be damaged by 

 weevils than when growing pure. Less valuable hardwoods, such 

 as red maple, may serve a similar purpose. Gray birch, however, 

 which in New England often associates with white pine, is distinctly 

 undesirable in mixture with it. The slender stems of the birch, 

 which commonly grow in clumps from a single stump, spread out 

 widely, and when swayed by the wind are likely to damage the 

 upper branches and tender tops of any small pines within their 

 reach. Often a number of otherwise healthy young pines will be 

 killed outright by a single clump of birches. (See PI. Ill, fig. 2.) 



SILVICAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



Silvical characteristics embrace the soil, moisture, and light 

 requirements of a species and its reproductive and growth charac- 

 teristics. 



SOIL AND MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS. 



Broadly speaking, all the tree species in a given region require for 

 their best growth much the same physical characteristics of the soil. 

 In general, soils 3 or 4 feet deep, which are porous and well-drained 

 but capable of holding sufficient moisture during dry seasons, are the 



