The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-01-13
HOW FORESTS GR(
THERE ARE TWO GREAT 7,
THE PURE AND MIXED

One Of the Marvellous Feats OF Nh
IL the Balancing Of Cond,saass
Where Trees of Different y. Ml
Enter the StrugEle For Exi,,. I'll
The laws which govern the dis.
ton of trees produce the two
types, the pure and the mixed +,
The former Is the result OF locaI .a
ditons which trees Of one kind ,
can survive. I'll
In the North woods the balsan 81
cupies the swamps, usually to tn. #
clusion Of all competitors. sips 81
other Of the native trees can thr,s, I
wet places. In the Black Hills IN
other parts Of the middle west ~
small demands Of the bull pine MI
moisture enable it to form pure Win S
on a soil too dry to support othe, b
tive trees. The Jack pine Of the M n
Jersey barrens and the long leaf NJ
Of the southern states grow in rgNs
or nearly pure stands since they Al
can withstand the peculiar cond,t1 IL
Of these regions. "A
Where climate and soil are favor,@
to various trees we find the mixed .@
est, the number OF species in mj,tIs
depending upon the suitability Of ~
locality to forest growth. II
Upon the hardwood flats of the M
rondacks the hard maple, the ye,IlN
birch and the beech r the only NJ
ciduous trees able to Withstand thu d
we're climate. In the southern An,yS
lachian forests, where the trees Of n
north and south meet under condjtjc
favorable to both, we find more ts.j
100 different kinds. \
The distribution Of trees, therefor
Is the joint result Of loca; cond!tm.
and Of the individual and varying n
Quirements Of the different species IT,.
on moisture, soil and climate. T1pg
laws, however, which govern forest dis
tribution are not identical with those
which regulate the behavior Of trees
In mixture. They do not explain wh,l
each species, If undisturbed. malnuiul
the same proportion in the mixed To-;
est. Why does not the hard mspfl
drive out its competitors In the A1ruS
dacks, the oak gain the upper hand /
the forests Of the southern AppslI
chians, the red fir exterminate ts
western hemlock on the Pacific slope!
Wherever q mixed forest Occur
there is an %unrelenting struggle gda.
on. Let us see how the combataat
are armed and why the representa-
Of each species remains unchanged.
The more important of the charactg.
istics which affect the capacity Of
tree to hold its own In mixture Wit
trees Of other kinds are its dema,a
upon light, its rate Of growth and il
power of reproduction. No two specs
require an equal amount Of light, gu,
: at the same rate or are identical .
their capacity to reproduce themsel7a
The endowment Of each, with hah.
differing from those Of its neighbo,
but with strength and weakness i
balanced that all which occur In MI
ture enter the struggle for existeN
! upon an equal footing, Is one Of tb
marvellous feats Of nature.
The red spruce Of the North woods
through its ability to endure dense
shade, has been given the power to
hold Its own against faster growing
; competitors, some of which exceed II
greatly in their capacity to Reproduce
themselves. The young spruces which
spring up here and there throughovi
the forest struggle along under b;
heavy crowns Of the hard woods, whe.
a tree making more insistent demand
upon light could not survive.
In the forests Of the southern Ap
palachians the oak Is in many localitts
the characteristic tree. Growing rap
idly and exceedingly hardy, 1t might b
expected to increase steadily Its pr
portion In the mixture. The eQuilib,
um Is maintained through the fact ts
the oak can endure but little shst
and that its seed is heavy. limiting it
reproduction to the immediate yicinlt
Of the parent tree.
IN the same region the yellow poph
and the chestnut, both trees whic
grow rapidly and are capable of endu'
ing considerable shade, are controlle
toe n because much Of its seed
barren, the other because many Of tn
nuts are eaten by animals. And tn
red cedar, Of slow growth and spars
representation, Is aided through tn
distribution of its seeds by birds. Wit
taelr power to terminate unimpaire'
Inc aspen. short lived and requiri1
much light. holds its own with longs
nVed n shade enduring trees becsas
's downy seed is produced In g7ss
quantities and Is scattered far sd
woe by the wind. The ash and ID
password, of rapid growth and bearin
an abundance Of seed, are withheld b
strong demands upon light and by i
seeu OF a fresh and fertile soil. II
Ieo mr., equaled by few North Americs
trees IN rapidly Of growth and othe
WISE wen equipped to gain the upp'
Iano IN its region, is controlled throus
1ne usual failure Of its seed to geru
uate except when accident has reno
co the leaf litter and exposed the mi