152 



CHAPTER v.— CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



ENSURING THE PERMANENCY OF THE PLAN. 



Laying oat the coupes. — When the provisions of a work- 

 ing-plan have been drawn up there still remains, as a rule, 

 the marking off on the ground of the sites of the annual 

 fellings or the coupes. Until this has been done the plan 

 is incomplete. It may be compared to a forest delineated 

 on a map bat not marked on the ground by material 

 signs. 



The degree of detail with which the coupes should be 

 marked off depends on the circumstances of each case. In 

 working-circles treated by the selection method or sulijected 

 to restoration fellings, for instance, each coupe will, as a 

 rule, be formed of one or more blocks linaited by natural 

 or artificial land-marks. In such cases no further demar- 

 cation obviously is required. It sometimes happens, how- 

 ever, that the limits of the blocks are roads or fire-lines, 

 the construction of which forms part of the provisions of 

 the plan itself. When possible, therefore, it is well to 

 lay out the roads or fire-lines on the ground before finishing 

 the plan. This course will tend to ensure its provisions 

 being adhered to and the sub-divisions it deals with being 

 preserved, and is in every way advantageous. A well-consi- 

 dered arrangement of fire traces and of roads for the 

 extraction of the produce is of the first importance ; but 

 if the works are only verbally indicated there is every 

 chance of the directions being lost sight of. In coppice 

 treatment especially, where the coupes are comparatively 

 small, the marking-off of the roads or rides is of much 

 importance and very largely increases the value both of the 

 plan and of the forest. 



THE CONTROL OF WORKING-PLANS* 



Necessity for simplicity in the control.— Working-plans are 

 of no use if they are not adhered to, and proper adherence 

 can only be secured by an effective control. Much of their 



* The reiniirk!! iinier this head lire an exnressioa of the writer's peisnnal views. The 

 eontrol .-xercisfd for loiests under the Qovarninent of India is detailed in Chapter II of the 

 Forest Department Code. 



