PRESENT CONDITION OF ENGLISH FORESTRY 27 



prevented from springing up, or were eaten off when planted 

 by rabbits. The gradual result has been, therefore, that 

 our coppice woods to-day contain little but stunted or badly 

 shaped oaks, young or immature ash, etc., scattered at 

 irregular distances amongst the stools of coppice. The 

 latter, which at one time was of considerable value, and 

 made from £10 to £12 per acre when cut at intervals of 

 ten years or so, is now almost worthless, and this fact still 

 further aggravates the economic condition of this class of 

 woodland. 



The fact must not be overlooked that practically the 

 whole of these coppice woods stand on much more fertile 

 ground than the majority of ordinary plantations. It is no 

 uncommon thing to find coppice woods surrounded by ground 

 which has an agricultural value of from £1 to £2 per acre. 

 Their condition therefore becomes all the more unsatisfactory 

 when viewed as a branch of estate economy, and it is at least 

 a source of gratification to note that this fact is being 

 gradually recognised. 



Another but more limited class of woodland represented 

 in England is that found in the beech woods on the Chiltern 

 Hills. How these woods originated it is difficult to say, but 

 they are generally regarded as being indigenous to the soil. 

 At one time it appears they were cut over for firewood, and 

 their value in any other direction was small. But during 

 the last fifty years or so they have acquired considerable 

 importance by the development of the chair-making industry, 

 which has its centre at High Wycombe. The chalky loam 

 which covers these hills forms an almost ideal soil for this 

 tree, and occasional patches of beech may be seen which, as 

 regards growth, density of the crop, and condition generally, 

 leave nothing to be desired. But the fact cannot be denied 

 that these woods, like those of every other description in 

 England, have greatly deteriorated by over-cutting. The 

 system of management adopted for many years has been 

 that of going through them at comparatively short intervals 

 and taking out the best and largest timber. After each 

 cutting, the first good seed year which follows sees a plentiful 

 crop of seedlings spring up to take the place of those removed. 

 Theoretically, therefore, the system is more or less satisfactory. 



