TIMBEK GROWING AND LOGGING PEACTICE IN CALIFORNIA 59 
by far the safer and more economical way of keeping forest lands 
productive. The owner of forest lands whose property is mostly in 
virgin forest is in the best position to undertake timber growing. 
At low initial expense he can leave the land highly productive after 
the first partial cutting, and within a few decades can obtain a 
second cut from the rapidl3^-growing young reserved trees. Even 
the third cut, which will come principally from the smaller advance 
reproduction, is already on the ground, requiring only care in log- 
ging, proper slash disposal, and protection from fire for its maturity. 
Restoration of a forest after destructive lumbering, on the contrary, 
requires not only the large expense of planting, but also the inevit- 
able period of slow juvenile growth, which natural reproduction left 
after logging has largely passed through. Further, planted forests 
will probably yield a cut only at the end of the full rotation (unless 
thinning becomes possible) and the operator will not have a second 
cut, as on conservatively logged lands, to tide over the period between 
the end of liis virgin timber and the merchantability of trees that 
are now very small or nonexistent. 
Essentially, then, the decision for full timber crops, like the 
choice of minimum measures to maintain partially productive lands, 
must rest on what is done at the time of logging. 
The additional measures then taken for the maintenance of full 
timber crops are, simply expressed, a form of partial or selective 
cutting. The underl3dng principle is that young and thrifty trees 
will grow rapidly after logging, and will produce future profits 
greater than if they were cut now. The forest-land owner by re- 
serving such trees, provides definitely for the second cut, besides 
providing for rapid restocking of blank spots. 
Thus, the fundamental conditions to be met 'n carrying out the 
partial cutting plan and thereb}^ obtaining rapid and profitable 
growth on cut-over lands are: (1) To combine in the trees selected 
for leaving the highest possible qualities of growth and seed pro- 
duction. (2) To remove all mature, decadent, malformed, or dis- 
eased trees, and to leave only thrifty sound trees with capacity for 
rapid growth. (3) To leave sufficient trees for seed production to 
insure restocking of land and to maintain the pines in the new 
stand. (4) To preserve during logging the advance reproduction 
and the reserved trees. (5) To control the danger to reproduction 
and seed trees from fire. All these objects must of course be attained 
while making the operation a profitable one for the logger. 
Essentially, the methods worked out on national forests and used 
as the basis for desirable forest practice for private owners aim 
first of all, while making the logging profitable, to improve the 
condition of the forest; and second, to leave a nucleus of trees now 
of merchantable or near merchantable sizes that will restock the 
area, will make rapid growth after logging, and will form the basis 
of a second cut in 30 to 50 years. Within three to five decades re- 
stocking will be completed; complete release of the principal part 
of the stand (advance and subsequent reproduction) will be needed; 
and the rate of growth on the reserved trees will doubtless have 
become low. Most private owners will have utilized their virgin 
timber in that length of time and, in order to continue in the busi- 
ness, must start going over their lands the second time. 
