84 Eleventh Annual Report 



field to stand without replanting when every other liill is vacant. 

 If the land owners of the State should compel the woodlot to csLrry 

 its full load of trees the future of our wood working industries 

 would be secure. The area within the State, now considered timber 

 land, would be sufficient, if properly managed and made to carry 

 its full load of trees, to meet all of the prospective demands of the 

 State for many years. 



4. Other facts obtained in these studies, but not set out in this 

 paper, show that our present stand is not merely unsatisfactory 

 as to quantity, but also as to quality. The proportion of the spe- 

 cies is wrong. In almost every case the species of high value occur 

 in scant numbers, the bulk of the stand being made up of species 

 of relatively inferior value. There are to be found ordinarily more 

 black oak than white oak, more black hickory than shellbark hick- 

 ory. This condition is the result of long continued selective cut- 

 ting and is one which can only be remedied by artificial reenforce- 

 ment. The woodlots of the State must not only carry more trees, 

 they must also carry trees of higher grade. Such a change of con- 

 dition cannot be brought about in a year or in two years, but per- 

 sistent, intelligent effort ^vill ensure success in a relatively short 

 time. 



In the region studied, which is fairly typical of large areas in 

 the southern counties, a stand in which the trees average from 

 twelve to thirteen inches in diameter, is approximately one hun- 

 dred years old. None of these stands mil cut to exceed 2,500 to 

 3,000 feet B. M. per acre ; they should cut from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. 

 The proportion of species is unsatisfactory. The species which 

 dominate in numbers are not of high value, and valuable species 

 are sparingly represented. These are the conditions which are to 

 be corrected if our citizens do their part in the work of forest 

 conservation. 



While the annual gro^\i:h rate of the species discussed might 

 be much more rapid in other parts of the State, none of the other 

 statements of this paper would require modification. In no part 

 of the State do the timbered areas show a full stand, a profitable 

 proportion of species or any evidence of intelligent management, 

 lentil these facts are recognized and their significance appreciated 

 the agitation for forest conservation is practically useless. 



Taking all of the facts into consideration the maintenance and 

 improvement of existing wooded areas is the most practical and 

 most promising line of effort in the conservation of our forest re- 



