32 FOREST RESERVE MANUAL. 



For this reason, the first question to arise when the removal 

 of any timber is discussed is whether or not it can be spared, 

 and to decide this question, the forest officer must know 

 whether another growth of timber will replace the one 

 removed or whether the land will become waste. 



The foremost point to be studied in this connection is the 

 reproduction of the forest under various conditions. The 

 number of small trees, their kind, their vigor, the seed-bearing 

 capacity of those which would be left after cutting, the possi- 

 ble destruction of the young gro-^th by logging or fire — all 

 these points must be considered fully. The growths on simi- 

 lar areas which have been burned or logged afford the best 

 guides in this study. 



If it seems certain that the timber may be cut safely, the 

 best method of cutting must be decided — whether the trees 

 below a certain diameter should be left to form the next crop, 

 whether a number of seed trees should be left, whether the 

 surrounding timber will furnish enough and the right kind of 

 seed, whether the cutting may be unrestricted or confined to 

 strips — or, in other word^, what system will be surest to bring 

 about satisfactory reproduction. 



In unsurveyed territory no attempt to follow the regular 

 square-mile section system need be made. The block should 

 conform to the lay of the land and the conditions which regu- 

 late cutting. Ridges and streams should indicate boundaries 

 wherever practicable, and at least one boundary or corner, 

 serving as a starting point, should be identified with some 

 easily found natural object. Roads or streams should be used 

 as base lines where possible. The boundary lines need not 

 run north and south by east and west, but may take such 

 angles as may be necessary to follow the- natural outlines 

 referred to. The compass bearing and length of each line 

 must be recorded to admit of proper mapping of the block. 

 AH corners must be marked by posts and witness trees bear- 

 ing the marks of the district and the block; as D-3, B-1, 

 r eaning district No. 3 and block No. 1. The boundary lines 

 must be clearly blazed and leenf orced by the marking hammer. 



The sketch map of the block must include such details as 

 buildings, roads, and trails, fences, mill sites, and mining or 

 other claims. Each block should be mapped on a separate 

 sheet, and all maps must be made on a scale of 12 inches to 

 the mile. 



