The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-01-18
Nine "Don'ts' for WoodIOt Owners.
Good Things to Avoid in Using the Home
Supply of Wood on the Farm.

Good Things to Avoid in Using the Home
Supply of Wood on the Farm.
There is right way to do everything
and the care of the woodlot is not an
exception to the rule. The right way,
moreover, is often quite simple, the
good results which follow being out of
all proportion to the time or labor ex-
pended Too many woodlots are simply
neglected, ard by far the greater num-
Der of them are misused for want of
foresight or true appreciation of their
value.
The first principles OF right woodlot
forestry may be summarized in a brief
list of Don is, by which every woodlot
owner may profit with very little
trouble.
Don't dispose of your woodlot. You
need it for your own use. 1t can be
made to give you fuel, posts, poles,
fence rails, even such timber, boards,
and shingles as will keep the farmstead
and barns in repair. With little en-
enlargement, its value for home supply
will increase year by year. While you
use it. it will renew itself, and the price
of it's products are certainly not de-
creasing.
Don't turn your woodlot into a pas
ture. Tree seedlings are quickly
bruised and crushed by the trampling
of live stock. Hungry cattle browse
upon them. The soil becomes packed
hard and unable to retain moisture so
much needed for the encouragement OF
young growth.
Don't thin your woodlot too heavily.
If you do, large openings are made
through which the sunlight streams In,
drying the soil and encouraging the
growth of grass, which should never be
suffered to replace the spongy humus
that forms the natural top layer of soil
in a healthy forest. a crown canopy,
formed by the leaves and branches,
should always shade the forest floor.
Too much light encourages the forma-
ton of branching, Short-stemmed trees.
| Don't burn over tie WoOdlot. 1t has
been pointed out that the Woodlot is
not tit for pasture purposes, but even II
+ it were, the burning over of the SOIL
would still do irreparable damage to
Young growth, consume the litter
which ought to rot into humus, ana
destroy the very conditions which ma
ture seeks to establish and preserve.
Don't select only the best trees III
! Woodlot which needs wedding. Nearly
I
/ stand III which dead and unsound trees,
weed trees, and sound, useful trees are
intermingled. If you select and re-
move only the choicest living trees, the
stand will grow poorer instead OF bet
| ter, and in time will become almost
worthless. An improvement cutting
which, even at a little cost, removes
| the weed trees and those which are
! dead, crooked, or otherwise OF little
worth, will give the remaining stand a
clear start. The woodlot quickly re-
spends to such treatment improving
vigorously under the new conditions.
The larger yield of better quality in
due time more than repays the labor.
Don't forget reproduction. In thin
ming your woodlot, have an eye to the
young growth. Spare it as much as
you can in telling and hauling the logs.
Give the seedlings the chance, and they
will seize it and grow into saplings and
poles. Saplings and poles are already
valuable, and little later still are
themselves grown trees.
Don't do all your cutting in one spot.
Just because it is a tri1e more conven-
lent to do so. BY taking tree here
and there, where it can best be spared
or is actually better down, you will Sc
cure just as much wood, and at the
same time draw as lightly as possible
on your future supply. Where the
stand is composed only of old trees you
may, of course often make clear cut
ting to advantage, especially where
neighboring seed trees will reseeu the
opening to new crop.
Don't let the carelessneSS of other
persons do the damage to your woOdlot
by fire which you refrain from doing
yourself. a fire IN a neighbOring field
may creep into your WOOdlOt and burn
over it, scorching the trunks of the
trees or even setting the crowns ablaze.
1t is worth while, in the dangerous sea-
son, to see that the borders of the
woodlot are clear of inflammable mate
rial. Especially clear away the leaves
so as to form IA miniature fire lane
about the forest. Forbid the careless
use of matches and the building of
camp fires, and see that your directions
are obeyed
Don't be in too great hurry to real
ize on your woodlot investment. Be
satisfied with a permanent revenue,
wi ich is the interest on your forest
capital. You may materially increase
this interest by managing the woodlot
itself so that the thinning always bears
a wise proportion in the yield. Mean
time the steady rise in the value of all
forest products will add little by little
to the market value of your timber.
Years hence, when you need it, the
woodlot which has supplied you all
along will in all probability bring you
far more than at present. Or you may
leave it to your children, who in turn
will find it most acceptable bank &C