156 COMPLEMENTABT PaESCBlPTlONS OF THE WORKING SCHEME. 



In the organisation of high forests, the es.'iential object of a 

 Reserve Fund is to provide against extraordinary and unforeseen 

 demands extraneous to the forest itself, or to prevent a falling off 

 in the yield in passing from one Period to the next. On the other 

 hand, this Reserve may, according to circumstances, also have for 

 object the production of isolated trees of large size, or serve as a 

 set off against accidental injuries to the forest. To take an instance ; 

 A Municipality requires an extraordinary felling, or the State is in 

 immediate want of vt^ood for the defence of the country j the forest 

 must be able to satisfy either demand to a sufficient extent vithout 

 its healthy regular growth being compromised thereby. Or, to take 

 another case, it becomes apparent towards the end of the First 

 Period that the Second Block is insufficiently timbered ; some 

 means must be found to make good this deficiency without up- 

 setting the orginal Origanisation Project. Again in a given high 

 forest of oak there are several choice specimens in full growth and 

 far removed from their maturity when the time for exploiting the 

 surrounding forest arrives. It would be a pity to fell them so soon. 

 To take one more case, there is a fir forest in which numerous 

 windfalls have occurred in the Block belonging to the next following 

 Period ; these windfalls must evidently be cut up and disposed of 

 at once ; and the only way to compensate for this unexpected loss 

 is to reserve a certain number of trees in the Block under re<renera- 

 tion. Thus a sufficient Reserve Fund of trees provides against all 

 such sudden contingencies. 



The formation of the Reserve Fund may be effected in several 

 ways. " Formerly" writes M. de Salomon, " it was customary to re- 

 serve a certain definite portion of the forest in one piece by it- 

 self. But this method was soon abandoned as being inadequate 

 and failing to secure the end proposed. For except when trees of 

 extraordinary size had to be grown, it was impossible to judge, 

 with any degree of certainty, what crops were by their age best 

 fitted to form this Reserve Fund. The reason is evident, for if 

 mature or almost mature trees were reserved, it mio-ht be found 

 necessary to exploit them at an inconvenient time on account of 

 decay, and thus the very object for which they were reserved 

 would be defeated ; and if, on the contrary, the reserved trees were 

 young and an extraordinary felling was urgently required under some 



