CARING FOR THE- GROWING WOODLOT 107 



pole or sawlog can be secured. In some cases only dead 

 branches are removed, but often lower live branches can be 

 cut to good advantage. Care must be taken not to reduce the 

 crown materially. In small fast-growing trees wounds will 

 grow over quickly before the wood begins to decay. If the 

 wounds are larger than a square inch or two in size they should 

 be painted with some good paint until the wounds have been 

 covered with new bark. Coniferous trees usually cover over" 

 ■such wounds with pitch. 



Thinnings Made to Increase the Rapidity of Growth of 

 Trees. — If as the trees in a woodlot grew the crowns did not 

 expand, the young woodlot could be left entirely to nature 

 just as a farmer leaves his wheat to grow by itself. He sows 

 a certain number of seeds to the square foot and he has 

 learned by experience that when planted so far apart indi- 

 vidual plants will not interfere with each other. But trees do 

 not grow as do wheat and other grains which grow for a 

 year only. The older a tree becomes and the higher it grows 

 the wider it attempts to spread its crown. A tree will grow 

 rapidly to a certain height only with a restricted crown. Unless 

 room is then given for the crown to spread sidewise the sub- 

 sequent height growth will be very slow. A thinning is made 

 in a young growing stand so that the density of the crowns 

 will be reduced and the trees left will be able to expand their 

 crowns, and so carry on rapid height growth. It is made for 

 the same reason that a farmer thins out his beets or other 

 vegetable crop. If he allowed all to grow that came up there 

 would be few beets produced. He thins out the plants so that 

 the few that are left evenly spaced will have room' to expand 

 and develop. 



The competition between the trees in a young woodlot be- 

 comes very great when it is near the end of the large sapling 

 stage. So severe may be the struggle that the trees will often 

 cease to grow, all the energy of growth being used up in 

 contending with neighboring trees. Often a stand of young 



