32 BULLETIN 1060, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to renew the forest artificially by seeding or by planting nursery- 

 grown trees. This may be advisable if repeated fires have so de- 

 nuded the land of seed trees and of reproduction arising from stored 

 seed that there is no way for the natural regeneration of the stand 

 to take place except by the slow process of migration from the sur- 

 rounding timber. Methods of artificial reforestation of Sitka spruce 

 are in general similar to those employed for Douglas fir. Occasion- 

 ally successful results may be obtained from the direct sowing of 

 seed on the denuded area, either broadcast or in specially prepared 

 spots. This method, however, is very uncertain because of the like- 

 lihood of the seed being destroyed by birds or rodents and because 

 of the heavy mortality which frequently occurs among the young 

 seedlings during the first years after germination. Planting nursery- 

 grown trees is a more dependable method, and while the initial 

 expense may be greater than that of direct seeding, it may prove to 

 be cheaper in the end. The use of 3-year-old transplant stock is 

 recommended. On the better quality of sites Sitka spruce may be 

 planted pure over relatively small areas ; but, since it more commonly 

 occurs associated with other species, a mixture of spruce with Douglas 

 fir or hemlock is usually preferable. The composition of the former 

 stand should largely govern the choice of species. 



ROTATION. 



A relatively short rotation is possible in Sitka spruce forests be- 

 cause of their rapid growth. Crops suitable for pulpwood might be 

 produced on the best sites in 40 years or less, and crops for saw timber 

 in twice that period. Information on the growth rate of the Alaskan 

 forests is meager, but the indications are that a somewhat longer 

 period will be required to produce timber suitable for various pur- 

 poses than is needed in Oregon and Washington. 



