INCENSE CEDAR. 33 



servative for managed stands, since it is based entirely on what the 

 tree has done in virgin stands. Though the most satisfactory rota- 

 tion can not be determined definitely until stands have actually been 

 brought under management, the above gives a working basis that is 

 amply conservative. 



SILVICULTURAL TREATMENT. 



Incense cedar is naturally such a slow grower that in spite of its 

 wide distribution and ready adaptability to various sites it can 

 never be grown at a profit under any but the most favorable condi- 

 tions. It would be folly to attempt to do so on sites where condi- 

 tions are otherwise. It is even a question whether it should not be 

 eliminated from the stand entirely on the sites less adapted to it, in 

 order to favor as far as possible the species which can be counted 

 on to produce an adequate return. Under the most favorable con- 

 ditions and with proper handling incense cedar probably will yield 

 returns equal to, or greater than, those of its associates because of 

 its value for special uses. 



In general, however, the management of incense cedar will have 

 to be subordinated to that of its more important associates, since it 

 is unlikely that the forests in which it occurs will ever be handled 

 with the single purpose of securing the best conditions of growth 

 for it alone, or that it will ever be grown over large areas. The 

 following discussion, therefore, must be considered as outlining the 

 ideal management for incense cedar rather than the one which at 

 present is economically advisable. 



Having adopted a rotation, the next question is how best to secure 

 maximum development in the size and quality of the timber to be 

 grown. Will incense cedar do best when grown with other species 

 or when grown alone? Should it be grown in all-aged or in even- 

 aged stands, and what silvicultural system will give the best re- 

 sults — selection cutting, clear cutting and planting, the shelterwood 

 method, or the seed-tree method? 



CHABACTEB OF STANDS. 



Incense cedar is a tree particularly well adapted to growing in 

 mixture with other species. The fact that it is never found in pure 

 stands, as well as its extreme tolerance, indicates this. On the other 

 hand, its slow growth when suppressed and its fairly rapid growth, 

 particularly in early life, when light, especially top light, is abun- 

 dant, indicates that in even-aged stands the yield will be greater 

 than in stands where all ages are represented and only the dominant 

 trees receive full light. The study of growth in even-aged stands 

 substantiates this conclusion. 



