THE WOODLOT STAETED FEOM SPROUTS 117 



learned that such a woodlot has an irregular form. It origi- 

 nates usually from the method of cutting the trees. Where 

 the woodlot is cut clean all trees being removed and the new 

 growth starts at once, an even aged stand results. If instead 

 of cutting all the trees at once the owner cuts out a few of 

 the larger trees year after year, an irregular woodlot will 

 result. When a large tree is removed there will be an opening 

 formed in the canopy. Little seedlings under the opening 

 will be stimulated to growth by the increased light and will 

 at once start to fill in the vacant space in the canopy. In 

 this way the woodlot will in time become filled with trees of 

 all ages. 



Because the owner in cutting the trees makes a selection 

 of those to cut out, choosing certain ones from those surround- 

 ing them, this method of reproducing a woodlot is called the 

 selection system and the irregular forest that results is called 

 a selection forest. On large forests the owner may decide to 

 cut out all trees down to a certain diameter, saving for future 

 growth all the small trees below that diameter. This is also 

 a form of the selection method. 



The future of the irregular form of woodlot depends, of 

 course, on the young seedlings that start to grow under the 

 old trees or in openings that are caused by the removal of those 

 trees. They are the children of the woodlot. If they are 

 destroyed year after year by fire or grazing or if they are 

 cut out thoughtlessly as the owner thinks to improve the wood- 

 lot, there will be no trees to grow up and take the place of 

 the older trees when they are removed. In no form of wood- 

 lot is it more necessary to take good care of the young growth 

 than in the irregular form. In all even aged woodlots after 

 the crowns of the trees are well up above the heads of cattle, 

 a little grazing may do no immediate harm to the trees,^ though 

 it would be better for the trees if grazing were excluded. But 

 where the maintaining of the forest capital and the future 

 of the woodlot depends on the young seedlings and saplings 



