504 DEPARTMENTAL KEPOETS. 



from the field study is the superiority for this region, under conserva- 

 tive management, of the Loblolly Pine over the Longleaf Pine, because 

 of its much more rapid rate of growth and its equally plentiful 

 reproduction. 



PENNSYLVANIA HAKDWOODS. 



Another tract for which a detailed working plan was prepared is 

 situated west of the Susquehanna River, about 15 miles above Harris- 

 burg, Pa., and has an area of 2,321 acres. The forest has been clean 

 cut, all of it once and some of it twice, for charcoal wood. The present 

 stand consists of second-growth hardwoods, among which Chestnut, 

 Chestnut Oak, White Oak, Black Oak, and Scarlet Oak are the pre- 

 dominating trees. The present owner intends to hold the property as 

 a permanent investment. As the land is unfit for agriculture and 

 contains no deposits of coal, iron, or other minerals, its capacity to 

 yield returns lies only in the production of wood. 



Three men spent six weeks in the field work necessary for the work- 

 ing plan. A thorough study was made of the forest and of the silvi- 

 cultural characteristics of the more important trees. The local market 

 for wood and timber of the sorts obtainable from the tract was inves- 

 tigated with a view to the disposal of the material from thinnings 

 and improvement cuttings. Data were collected for a detailed map 

 showing the distributiion and character of the forest and the location 

 of the more important streams and roads. It was found that on 1,G59 

 acres the growth is still too small to be merchantable, but that on 662 

 acres the forest will now furnish telephone poles, railroad ties, and 

 firewood. The market permits this material to be cut at a profit. 

 The purpose of the working plan, therefore, was to determine how 

 cuttings yielding salable material could be made with the best results 

 in improving the quality of the stand. Since the land is capable of 

 producing White Oak and Yellow Poplar, cuttings are recommended 

 with the object of gradually replacing inferior coppice growth with a 

 seedling forest of the more valuable kinds and at the same time 

 maintaining the present proportion of Chestnut in the mixture, which 

 is desirable on account of its good market value, its rapid growth, 

 and its capacity to reproduce from the stump. 



SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HARDWOODS. 



The tract of the Linville Improvement Company, comprising 16,000 

 acres in Mitchell, Caldwell, and Watauga counties, IST. C, offered a 

 somewhat unusual problem in the preparation of a working plan . The 

 tract includes Grandfather Mountain, one of the highest peaks of the 

 Southern Appalachians. Except for the cutting of Black Cherry fif- 

 teen years ago, little lumbering has been done. The present owners 

 desire to cut the mature trees in such a way that the beauty of the 

 forest will not be impaired, while its condition will be improved. 

 The field work occupied a party of four men for three months. The 

 stand was actually measured on 600 acres, the rate of growth of the 

 more important species was determined, and a study was made of 

 their silvicultural requirements and of their present market value. 

 From the data obtained a map was made showing the distribution of 

 the forest types and giving an approximate estimate of the stand of 

 Ash, Cucumber, Basswood, and Hemlock, here the more important 

 commercial trees. The problem of lumbering at a profit in such a 

 way as to improve the condition of the forest without impairing Its 



