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OUR FORESTS 



considered as a harvest. The oldest trees are the '' ripe grain," 

 and the younger trees are to be left to grow to maturity. Several 

 methods of renewing the forest are in use in this country. (1) Trees 

 maybe cut down and young ones allowed to sprout from cut stumps. 

 Beech, chestnut, and the redwood of California are among the 

 trees that grow in this w^ay. This is called coppice growth. 

 (2) Areas or strips may be cut out so that seeds from neighboring 

 trees are carried there by the wind to start new growth. (3) Forests 

 may be artificially planted. Two seedlings planted for every tree 



The forest primeval. Trees kill 

 each other in a constant struggle for 

 light and air. 



Beech forest in Germany. The trees 

 are kept thinned out to allow the young 

 trees to get a start. 



cut is a rule followed in Europe. (4) The most economical method 

 is that shown in the second picture on this page, where the largest 

 trees are thinned out over a large area so as to make room for the 

 younger ones to grow up. Our forest service is trying to interest 

 farmers in planting trees for profit, and many thousands of trees are 

 set out each year. But in 1925 it was estimated that we were 

 using up our forest about four times as fast as it was growing, 

 so that we need much more planting if we are to keep our forests 

 at approximately their present area. 



A City's Need of Trees. — The city of Paris, well known as one 

 of the most beautiful of European capitals, spends over $100,000 

 annually in caring for and replacing some of its 90,000 trees. AW 



