32 BULLETIN 1060, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
to renew the forest artificially by seeding or by planting nursery- 
grown trees. This may be advisable if repeated fires have so de- 
nuded the land of seed trees and of reproduction arising from stored 
seed that there is no way for the natural regeneration of the stand 
to take place except by the slow process of migration from the sur- 
rounding timber. Methods of artificial reforestation of Sitka spruce 
are in general similar to those employed for Douglas fir. Occasion- 
ally successful results may be obtained from the direct sowing of 
seed on the denuded area, either broadcast or in specially prepared 
spots. This method, however, is very uncertain because of the like- 
lihood of the seed being destroyed by birds or rodents and because 
of the heavy mortality which frequently occurs among the young 
seedlings during the first years after germination. Planting nursery- 
grown trees is a more dependable method, and while the initial 
expense may be greater than that of direct seeding, it may prove to 
be cheaper in the end. The use of 3-year-old transplant stock is 
recommended. On the better quality of sites Sitka spruce may be 
planted pure over relatively small areas ; but, since it more commonly 
occurs associated with other species, a mixture of spruce with Douglas 
fir or hemlock is usually preferable. The composition of the former 
stand should largely govern the choice of species. 
ROTATION. 
A relatively short rotation is possible in Sitka spruce forests be- 
cause of their rapid growth. Crops suitable for pulpwood might be 
produced on the best sites in 40 years or less, and crops for saw timber 
in twice that period. Information on the growth rate of the Alaskan 
forests is meager, but the indications are that a somewhat longer 
period will be required to produce timber suitable for various pur- 
poses than is needed in Oregon and Washington. 
