S24 



FORESTS 



FORESTS 



follow pine, or pine will follow the hard-woods, 

 where the two were mixed at the time of cutting 

 and there was on the ground a young growth which 

 had an opportunity to grow when its competitor 

 was removed. 



When land is severely burned after being cut 

 over, the trees that show first are the kinds that 

 produce seed in great abundance, and whose seed 

 will float long distances in the wind, such as poplar 

 and birch ; or else those having fruits especially 

 liked by birds, such as the bird cherry, which is 

 widely distributed. The pine, and perhaps other 

 trees, may come in later, owing to their being 

 seeded later, or owing to the later advent of con- 

 ditions favorable to their germination and growth. 

 It may often happen in the case of burned-over 

 pine land, that pine seed is distributed over it the 

 first year after it is burned, but owing to the lack 

 of protection from the sun the young seedlings, 

 which are very delicate and require slight shade, 

 are destroyed. 



On the other hand, the young poplars, on newly 

 cleared land, may find just the condition for growth, 

 and the land becomes thickly seeded ; later there 

 comes a general weakened condition of the poplars 

 by reason of too much crowding. Under the growth 

 of these weakened poplars, pine seedlings may find 

 the right conditions of shade for their most suc- 

 cessful growth, and will gradually force their way 

 up through the poplars, and finally kill them out. 

 On the other hand, the poplars, birches and other 

 trees, grasses and shrubs growing on the land when 

 the timber is cut, may make so strong a growth as 

 to kill, for a time, the young pine seedlings that 

 are on the land. 



Forest regeneration. 



The term regeneration is commonly used in for- 

 estry to signify the renewal of forest trees on the 

 land. It is a convenient term and well worthy of 

 general use. The different forms of regeneration 

 may be referred to as, (1) regeneration by natural 

 seeding ; (2) regeneration by artificial seeding ; (3) 

 regeneration by planted seedlings ; (4) regenera- 

 tion by planted cuttings ; (5) regeneration by 

 sprouts and suckers (i. e., coppice-growth). 



The method of regeneration best adapted for 

 one section may not be at all fitted for another 

 section under different conditions, and often it is 

 best to combine two or more of the different forms 

 of regeneration. Where natural regeneration of 

 valuable species can be easily brought about, it is 

 generally the best practice. This is especially true 

 in sections where timber is comparatively cheap, 

 as is generally the case in this country where the 

 returns from the land can hardly be expected to 

 pay for any great amount of labor. 



(1) Natural regeneration by seed may be greatly 

 assisted by stirring the surface of the soil in good 

 seed years, just before the seed is scattered, and 

 by thinning enough to let in light and air to the 

 seedlings. When it is desired to have an open field 

 adjoining woodland thus seeded, the land may be 

 plowed or loosened with a disk harrow or drag, and 

 put in such condition as to make a sufficiently good 



seed-bed. When the soil will not permit of such 

 exceptional treatment, it may be loosened by a 

 drag made by tying together several oak branches 

 or small logs, which, when dragged over the ground 

 several times, will gradually break up the surface. 

 This will be especially necessary where there is a 

 thick covering of mold or "duff" on the land. This 

 same method of stirring the soil is applicable when 

 the land is to be seeded by hand. Good seed years 

 do not often occur in our most desirable species, 

 and it is very important to take advantage of 

 these good years when they do come. 



Natural re-seeding is almost the only practical 

 means of re-stocking large areas of forest lands, 

 as other methods are too expensive. It generally 

 takes place readily, and the chief reason why it is 

 not more successful is the frequent destruction of 

 the young seedlings by fires, by cattle and improper 

 methods of logging. 



The methods of cutting adapted to secure 

 natural regeneration by seed in the forest naturally 

 separate themselves into three systems, each of 

 which may be best adapted to some special condi- 

 tions. They are known as (1) the selection method ; 

 (2) the strip method ; (3) the sprout method ; and 

 (4) the group method. 



Selection method. — The selection method refers 

 to the cutting of mature trees and the removal 

 of inferior trees to make room for the better 

 kinds. In this system much care should be exer- 

 cised to prevent the growth of grass, which 

 generally comes in when the cutting is done more 

 rapidly than the seeding trees can seed the bare 

 land and furnish it with a good covering that will 

 keep out the grass and other weeds. On the other 

 hand, it is just as important to exercise great care 

 in providing sufficient light for the young seed- 

 lings which have started, so that they can make a 

 good growth and not be shaded out by the older 

 trees. The removal of a single tree, even though 

 it be a large one, often lets in so little light 

 that seedlings cannot get a good start. For 

 this reason the group method (referred to later) is 

 probably best adapted for general use, since it 

 opens up a suflicient space to warrant considerable 

 attention being paid to securing good conditions 

 for the young seedlings. 



Strip method. — The strip method may be used to 

 advantage where the soil and tree growth is very 

 uniform over large areas. The strip method is a 

 form of clear cutting and is chiefly applicable to 

 large tracts of even-aged pure stands of conifers 

 or any light-seeded species and when there is a 

 ready market for timber of all sizes. The location 

 of the strips and their alternate cutting involves 

 the laying out of plan of management for many 

 years ahead. The woodlot owner, therefore, will 

 seldom find it necessary to resort to this method of 

 forest treatment. 



Under this system the trees are removed in nar- 

 row strips, as a rule not wider at any time than 

 twice the height of the trees, so that the remain- 

 ing older trees can easily re-seed the denuded land ; 

 but the best width of the strips will depend on the 

 species and the local conditions. For example, in 



