THE SILVICULTURAL SYSTEM. 79 
** Group ’’ System. 
Natural regeneration in New Zealand forests seems particularly 
adapted to what is known in forestry as the ‘‘ group’’ method of re- 
generation, the coupes par trouées of French foresters. It is defined 
by the American Society of Foresters as ‘‘ Removing groups of trees, 
making more or less irregular openings, and enlarging these until the 
entire stand is removed and regenerated’ (‘‘ Journal of Forestry,”’ 
Washington, January, 1917). 
Says Sir William Schlich, writing in 1910 (Manual, vol. 3, p. 259), 
‘“‘ The shelter-wood compartment system is followed over the greater part 
of the State forests of France and Germany, where natural regeneration 
is adopted, though there is evidence that it will in many cases be super- 
seded by the ‘group’ or ‘combined group and strip’ system.’’ The 
‘“ group ’’ system, he goes on to explain, is best for the regeneration of 
mixed uneven forests such as those of New Zealand. It is ‘‘ specially 
adapted for the introduction of a more regular system of working into 
selection forests.”’ 
Kauri GROUPS. 
Dr. Hochstetter, describing the Kauri forests as he saw them in 1867, 
nearly in their prime, noticed the tendency of Kauri to occur in even- 
aged groups. I have remarked the same thing, and it is a point to be 
stressed. These even-aged groups seem to have been caused—(1) When 
they are small, by the maturity and fall of a wide-spreading old giant 
tree, often bringing down other trees with it, and presenting in its 
tangled mass just that half-shade which is favourable to natural regenera- 
tion; (2) the larger even-aged groups are probably due to fires. The 
Kauri forest in ordinary weather is little liable to burn; but a fire 
lit during dry spells will burn off patches or strips, which afterwards, 
if there had been old Kauris in the burn, come up thick with young 
Kauris (pp. 118 and 146). Sometimes the charred stumps of old trees ean 
be seen in the midst of these even-aged groups. The sample area we 
measured in the Waipoua Forest (‘‘ Waipoua Kauri Forest,’’ p. 59) was, 
I should say, one such group. It was (for Kauri forest) well stocked, 
approximately even-aged, and with the remains of old burnt forest still 
showing. : 
STRIP-FELLING. 
As far as circumstances will allow, the felling-areas should be laid 
out in the form of long narrow strips, the forest on the sides of each strip 
being left uncut till the regeneration of the strip is complete. This 
is the only way that any notable seedling regeneration (it coppices freely) 
of Stinkwood (Ocotea bullata), the most valuable tree in South Africa, 
has been obtained. Its planting is practically impossible, though the 
coppice seems to last indefinitely, 
Strip-fellings are specially useful for the regeneration of trees with 
light seed, such as White-pine or Honeysuckle (Knightia excelsa), or where 
strong winds are to be feared; the strips, of course, being laid out 
across the track of the prevalent winds, so as to prevent the wind sweep- 
ing down the strip, and to favour seed being blown into the strip. 
In Europe “‘ strip-felling’’ has long been successfully practised in 
Alpine coniferous forest, where the westerly winds are as strong as in 
New Zealand. A well-known instance is that of the Sihlwald town forest 
of Zurich, Switzerland, where the strips are about the width of the tree- 
heights, and are simply wide roads cut through the forest. 
