Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1903-10-17
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FOREST MANAGEMENT

have said in u previous article
that forestry principles proper can
not be applied until protective leg.
islation is in force. This is not lit
orally true, because in localities
away from the railway, especially
isolated wood lots, surrounded by
pasture CT meadow land, the condi.
tons seem to be decidedly favorable
to the economical practice of for
estry. Many farmers at present cut
fairly regular amount of wood
every year from such wood lots.
Their practice is to select for telling
old trees which show signs of decay
OF those which are seriously crowd
ing o. are crowded by other trees.
They cut over fraction of the
wooded area every year, and in the
course Of time they return to cut
over a second time the same areas,
and so on, the whole area being
maintained, meanwhile, under un-
broken forest cover. This is moth
ing more nor less than crude prac-
tice OF a we'll known method of for
est management, namely the "selec-
ton method" In French "jardi-
mage" or gardening and in German,
"plenterbetrieb.") 1t seems reason.
able to suppose that these farmers
might well take advantage of the en-
perience gathered during a long pc
Rod Of years in European countries.
The question is, how to improve
upon the method of cutting. In the
first place, the farmer cuts trees
which he sees are already beginning
to decay. Doubtless these trees have
for some years been growing at
much reduced rate. In other words,
their mean annual growth has passed
its maximum and is now receding.
Economy dictates that their places
should have been filled by young
trees which would now be approach
ing instead Of receding from their
maximum average increment of
wood.
Second, the condition of crowd
ing is the natural result of the
struggle for existence between the
individual trees of the forest. The
skillful forester tries, as much as
possible, to forestall part of this
struggle. In other words, he cuts
the tree which would in course of
time succumb anyway, and thus saves
certain amount Of wood before it
is dead and valueless, and on the
other hand he gives the tree which
Is left standing larger space, more
sun and more moisture by which it
can develop to larger size in given
period OF time. The ideal condi-
tons which forestry seeks to estab
lish can seldom be fully realized and
the first consideration in deciding
whether to change the method Of
management must always be
whether the change will pay, taxi
ing into consideration all the oh
iects for which the wood lot is main
tanned, such as the production of lun-
Der and frewood, the maintenance
OF uaaltered moisture conditions, the
protection of crops or houses from
cold winds, and pasturage and shade
for stock. 1t is usually desirable to
cut an equal amount of wood from
a given tract periodically. This i'm
portant object is known in forestry
Is the establishment Of the sustained
annual yield. But economy of
labor, variations in the market or
convenience in saving may carry
greater weight to the owner than
even'this important purpose.
The utilization Of the spare time
Of the help which would otherwise
be a loss to the employer, makes
possible the practice Of forestr,
methods on small wood lots, even in
a we'll wooded region like Vermont,
where it might not be practicable to
adopt it to extensive operations.
Some things that the owners should
know but do not, are the amount of
wood that is growing year by year
in their forests; whether more could