Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-01-27

cutting a Crop From the Woodlot. i
ton, though the progress of deteriora-
ton is not so rapid and may extend
over a long period of years. I
A properly cared-for woodlot will
furnish the farmer a cash crop at reg
ular intervals and will always afford
a supply Of timber and fuel for home
use. The harvest season for the wood
lot comes in the fall and in the winter,
and the gathering of the harvest as
ssists also in the thinning and cultivaS1t
ton of the crop.
Require Different Methods.
In general, there are two types of
woodlots, says the United States De-
partment Of Agriculture, and each Of
them requires a different method Of
handling. The first type is character
lied by the presence of old trees
which dominate the stand. The sec
ond type is made up of a nearly even
aged stand of second growth.
In the first type the old trees may
almost exclude the younger growth
Or they may exist as a few scattered
individuals throughout the stand.
Such material is very likely to be
losing value. The way to check the
loss is to cut the old trees which have
attained a mature growth and make
room for a new stand of seedlings. A
mature tree should be cut for the
same reason that one cuts a crop of
wheat when it is thoroughly ripened.
No dead Or diseased timber should be
allowed to stand.
A woodlot composed entirely Of ma
ture trees should not be cleared at one
cutting. The work should be carried
on in stages with sufficient interval
between the cuttings to allow a new
crop to come up. If this method is fol-
lowed carefully, the farmer will al
ways have a crop of wood ready for
harvest on his woodlot. When the ma
ture timber is removed in two or.
three cuttings, the first cutting should
be so managed as to open up the
crown cover somewhat, so that the
leaves on the forest floor may decom-
pose more rapidly and the termination
of the seed be made more certain.
The remaining trees become more wind
firm, and, as a result of their crowns
receiving more sunlight, they produce
more seed. When the forest floor is
in good condition the second cutting in
a mature woodlot can be made during
the winter following a heavy seed
year. Neither the first nor the second
cutting should be SO severe as to al
low an abundance of sunshine to reach
the forest floor, since sunshine stimu-
lates the growth Of weeds and other.
trash.
Thinning the Stand.
In the second type of woodlot4A.
where the farmer has an even-ageds
stand Of second-growth timber, he may
begin to harvest his crop by select
ing first the undesirable Species.
Often in such stands, such trees as
ironwood threaten to Overtop, crowd
out, or damage the more valuable spe-
cies like white ash or tulip poplar.
Sprouts sometimes arise too thiclly
from the stump Of trees recently cut.
or the reproduction Of a good species
is too dense. In any of these cases
some of the trees should be removed.
This process is nothing more than
the wedding out Of the poorer indlvid-
uals where they interfere with the
better ones. In somewhat the same
manner, a thinning cutting is used
when, in from 10 to 20 years, the
young stands rench a dense condition.
The principle Is exactly the same IN
that applied by the truck gardener
who thins out his plants 10 secure the
hest d%cyeiopr,nnt Of u portion, rather
than u poor development OF The whole.