310 CONCLUSION. 



sent state of things modified, either by means of Thinnings or 

 otherwise, when the age of exploitation is raised from 20 to 30 

 years ? Then again, we have to enquire whether this raising of 

 the age of exploitation to 30 years must be effected gradually, by 

 beginning at once to fell one-thirtieth of the area every year, or 

 whether the forest ought to be left untouched for the next 10 

 years, until the age of the oldest crop reaches 30 years, or whe- 

 ther any other plan ought to be adopted ? Lastly, the question 

 remains to be answered whether it is better to have 30 annual 

 coupes of 8 acres, 1 rood, and 13 poles each, or only 15 biennial 

 coupes of 16 acres, 2 roods and 27 poles each, or any other arrange- 

 ment of coupes ? Each of these three questions may be answer- 

 ed in several ways, but of these several answers only a compara- 

 tively small number will be found to suit the case of the forest 

 in question. 



The next thing to do is to divide off the forest into coupes 

 and to open out bridle-paths and roads, following the configura- 

 tion of the ground. Either there are existing roads sufficient for 

 the purpose required, or new ones have to be made to suit the 

 shape of the forest and to provide the necessary outlet for its pro- 

 duce. In the same manner one or more new bridle-paths form- 

 ing division lines, straight or zigzagging as the case may be, may 

 be required. All such othe'r paths ought to be laid out with refe- 

 rence to the roads and to the form of the perimeter of the various 

 cantons ; it is not always advantageous to align them perpendi- 

 cularly to the boundary-paths or parallel to each other. It may 

 be found expedient to make the coupes more or less wide, and 

 preferable to cut the boundary-paths in continuous straight lines 

 instead of resorting to curves and sharp zigzags on the plea of 

 making the areas of the coupes as equal as possible. Then again 

 it might be desirable to let certain paths abut at an angle or on 

 a foot-path. To insist once more on this subject, we cannot re- 

 peat it too often that roads and paths cannot be laid out without 

 some intelligent plan, or only with the aid of a rough map : due 

 attention must always be paid to the shape of the forest and the 

 topographical features, to the most convenient lines for export, 

 and to other peculiarities presented by the locality. Often in- 

 deed it is easy and also advisable to lay out the net-work of 

 roads and paths in such a manner as to be an ornament to the 

 forest and to facilitate inspection, 



