Apr. 1, 1927 Natural Replacement of Blight-Killed Chestnut 645 
shade it can not compete with any tree growth which overtops it 
(1). _ If the stand is allowed to develop without artificial treatment, 
it will eventually become an almost pure stand of the better species 
of oak, with some maple and a small quantity of pitch pine. It will, 
however, be more irregular, less well stocked with the better species, 
and slower in growth rate than with treatment. Although the pine 
is here somewhat more aggressive as a replacement species, par- 
ticularly in filling larger openings left by the death of the chestnut, 
many of the pine seedlings are lacking in vigor and will probably be 
overtopped by the hardwoods. 
Fifteen reproduction plots similar to the 24 small plots in the 
New England study were also laid out, the center of the plot coincid- 
ing with the center of the chestnut clump. The results obtained on 
these plots are summarized in Table 3. It is evident that there is an 
ample supply of forest-tree reproduction to fill the gaps, although the 
percentage of class 1 species is much lower than was found in southern 
New England. With less than half of the reproduction of species 
other than chestnut falling in classes 1 and 2, the desirability of 
modifying the composition of the stand is emphasized. It is en- 
couraging, however, to note that the tallest saplings on slightly over 
80 per cent of the area represented by the plots are either class 1 or 
class 2 species, although the percentage of class 1 is still small. 
The stands studied in New Jersey were characterized by the pres- 
ence of white pine and pitch pine, and by a higher percentage of 
the undesirable species in the overstory and a denser understory 
and undergrowth than those studied in Connecticut. (Fig. 2, B.) 
Although the chestnut is being replaced naturally for the most part 
by tree species, yet the presence of a relatively high proportion of 
undesirable species introduces important problems in connection 
with subsequent thinnings and improvement cuttings. 
Tas Le 3.—Reproduction under blight-killed chestnut, New Jersey « 
Percentage 
which tall 
Chestnut reproduc- i » | which tall- 
Plots tion per square rod Other reproduction per square rod est sap- 
lings are 
Aver- found 
diss | 
ter. : : Class 1 species Class 2 species 
mae Cl: Cl 
nu ‘ ass | Class 
. Live} All Pro- Pro- 
Num-|clumps; Dead | Live : [eal 2 
Nature seed-| spe- |Sprouts} por- |Sprouts} por an enes 
ber sprouts) sprouts| jings | cies | and | tion | and | tion | SP& | SP! 
: seed- | of | seed- | of | “S| cles 
lings |seed-| lings |seed- 
ings ings 
ee aged; 
oak-chestnut 
forest; flat Num- | Num- |Num-|Num-| Per Per Per Per | Per | Per 
ridge (plots 2 Feet ber ber ber | ber cent | cent | cent | cent | cent | cent 
and 3)__---_-- 10 20.4 18.8 20.8 | 2.1) 55.2 23 96 22 84 | 20 56 
Uneven aged; 
eae 
Nog 5 18.5 | 13.6 22.4 ~6 | 45.8 13 61 34 75 | 27 64 
: 1 
eae desis! 19.8 17.1 21.3} 1.6} 52.1 19.7 | 84.3 26 81 | 22.3 | 58.7 
i square-rod plots tallied on the Stokes State Forest in northwestern New Jersey. 
’ O patie tntorae of their dnunidnnies are: Class 1, red oak, black oak, chestnut oak, white oak, hick- 
ory, sweet birch, white pine, and pitch pine; class 2, scarlet oak, red maple, black gum, and aspen; class 3 
species are included only in the total number of all species. 
