FORESTRY LESSONS ON HOME WOODLANDS. 23 



Practical exercises. — What damages to woodlands occur in the 

 district? What forest protection in use in this locality? Do you 

 find any disease or insect attacking any special group of trees ? Are 

 farm animals allowed to graze in the farm woodlands ? If so, what 

 damages do you notice? 



Lesson IX. IMPROVING THE HOME FOREST BY CUTTING. 



Problem. — To study how to improve the home forest by proper 

 cutting. 



Sources of information. — Farmers' Bulletins 711, 1071, and 1117 ; 

 Forestry Bulletins 92 and 96 ; Department Bulletins 11, 13, 139, and 

 308 ; Forestry Misc. K-3 ; State Foresters' publications. 



Illustrative material. — Charts or illustrations showing results of 

 overcrowding and of proper thinning out of forest trees. Pictures 

 showing results of careless felling of trees. If possible, visit a forest 

 where these results can be actually shown by observing rings on 

 stumps or cutting into trees that have been several years previously 

 thinned. In an even-aged group, note different sizes of trees of same 

 age as result of differences in growing space. 



Topics for study. — Cutting the individual tree rightly; why as 

 little as possible of the tree's stump and top should be left in the 

 woods; careful felling of trees. What is liable to happen to trees 

 injured by another falling? 



Thinning out overcrowded stands of forest trees. How fewer and 

 fewer trees can grow on an acre as the trees increase in size. Avail- 

 able light supply for growth. Purpose of thinning to utilize tim- 

 ber that would otherwise die and go to waste. Also to stimulate 

 the remaining trees to increased growth, which means increased 

 value. 



Improve the woods by proper cutting, taking out (1) the mature^ 

 (2) broken, crooked, diseased trees, and (3) the slow-growing and less 

 valuable species of trees. Most woodlands have many such trees 

 crowding out young, promising trees of the better kinds. Making 

 woodlands yield a profit on the investment, increasing farm income 

 and the selling value of the farm. 



Practical exercises. — The facts taught in this lesson should be veri- 

 fied by actual observation in trips to forests. Study first hand the 

 results mentioned in the lesson. A good project would be the im- 

 provement of a forest plat by proper thinning, including the re- 

 moval of diseased, defective, overcrowded, and dead trees, and un- 

 desirable species. 



Correlations. — The class in drawing may construct the charts men- 

 tioned under " Illustrative material." They should also make draw- 

 ings of trees showing development under adverse conditions and of 

 others under proper conditions. 



