62 



CHAPTBU III.— THE WORKING- PLAN", 



PRELIMINARY EXPLANATIONS. 



General arrangement followed.— The prescription of the 

 possibility — the manner and locality in which it is to be 

 exploited— constitutes, practically speaking, the working- 

 plan for all forests of which the exploitable material is 

 wood ; and, as the manner in which the possibility ip cal- 

 culated depends on the method of treatment, it will be con- 

 venient to discuss separately the form of working-plan 

 required under each method. 



This will be done in regular order, the coppice methods, 

 as the simplest, being considered first. The manner of pre- 

 scribing the provisional treatment that crops may and usually 

 do require, transformation and restoration fellings, prepara- 

 tory thinnings and other improvement fellings, in order to 

 apply these methods will also be dealt with in describing 

 the nature of the working-plan for each:— 



Method of simple coppice, 



„ „ coppice-selection. 



„ „ bxanch-coppice. 



„ „ coppice with standards. 



„ „ clearances, 



„ „ storied forest. 



„ „ selection. 



„ ,, successive fellings. 



„ „ pastoral treatment. 



Before dealing with these methods in detail some preli- 

 minary explanations are, however, necessary. 



Manner in which the possibility is prescribed.— It has already 

 been explained that the possibility may be prescribed in three 

 ways, viz., by area, by number of trees or by volume of mater- 

 ial, and that either of the two latter may be combined 

 with the former. Practically speaking this is what is al- 

 ways done, and the possibility is expressed by prescribing 

 the felling, under certain sylvicultural rules, of the crop, 

 or of a limited number of trees or volume of material in 

 a given area. 



General and special plans.— The prescription of the possibility 

 involves the formulating of a general plan or framework on 

 which the whole working of the forest is built up, and a 

 special plan or statement of the fellings to be made during 

 a limited period. It has in some cases been imagined. that 

 the general plan might be dispensed with and the fellings 



