The young growth of softwoods left was as follows:

Obviously, the young growth of softwoods now present is not sufficient to restock the area. "This does not mean," as Mr. Zon points out,* "a few seedlings or even a few hundred seedlings to the acre, but a reproduction which is sufficient to produce a hundred years hence a merchantable stand of timber. Allowing for the natural thinning out of the young growth, there must be at least between fifteen hundred and two thousand seedlings to the acre in order to produce a merchantable stand at the time of maturity. A few hundred seedlings per acre may be capable of growing up and producing a large amount of seed, but cannot produce a merchantable stand of timber.”

Of the seedlings, i. e., trees not yet three feet high, the maple constituted 76 per cent, beech 17 per cent, spruce 4 per cent and balsam 3 per cent.

Such are the conditions after conservative softwood cutting in the Eastern Adirondacks; conditions in the Western Adirondacks are exemplified by the measurement in 1915 of 1585 acres of hardwood land on private holdings in St. Lawrence Co. This tract was logged for softwoods in 1898 to an approximate d. b. h. limit of 8 inches. The number of trees 6 inches d. b. h. and over in 1915 was as follows per average acre:

* "Results of Cuttings on Minnesota National Forest," R. Zon, "Proceedings of the Society of American Foresters," Vol. VII, No. 1, page 103.

Grand totals: 73.1 trees, 8,275 bd. ft. per average acre.

These figures show conclusively that, after the softwood logging, the hardwoods dominate the stand and, unless the hardwoods are cut, there is very little chance for the softwoods to maintain themselves. *"The reduction and removal of the old hardwoods alone assures success in the silvicultural program of re-establishing and giving advantage to the conifers."

2. Effect of Cutting the Hardwoods:

The hardwoods should be cut if it is desired to improve the forest and to perpetuate the softwood component of the original stand. The cutting may be one of two kinds: A. Virtual, clear cutting of all the merchantable trees; B. Conservative cutting under correct silvicultural principles. The chart exhibited here shows what happens in both cases. The data were gathered by Cornell forestry students in the summer of 1915 and are shown for the first time.

(Explain chart: especially following points:)

1. The upper part shows, graphically, the results two years after cutting as usually practiced on hardwood lands. in the Adirondacks. This area was cut in 1913 to an intended diameter limit of 12 inches d. b. h., but since there

*"Treatment of Cutover Forests in the Adirondacks," T. P. Maloy. Thesis for the degree of Master in forestry, Cornell University, 1916.

Results of Virtual Clear Cutting on average dere of Hardwood Land Lawrence e NY number of Trees per dere. 6d.b.h and over. Softwoods logged at sd.bh.in 1898.

*** «« «« -- -- -***

was not a close adherence to the diameter limit, and since the trees were largely overmature, the land was almost clear cut. The softwoods had been cut 15 years before and those left were too small to log then and now, no birches are left, few maples, but many beeches-nearly half the total number of trees left. Beech is the least desirable commercially and silviculturally of the three hardwood species and the condition of the trees left in this case makes them even less desirable; they are defective trees, infected with rot (fomes igniarius) which is so common in the beech of the Northwoods. Reproduction from such seed trees is any

thing but desirable. As Dr. Meinecke, an able forest pathologist, says: *"The sooner *** all *** undesirable individuals, including all badly injured, diseased, and misshapen ones, can be eliminated from the forest, the better. Sanitation of the forest must be the first and fundamental step in forest regulation."

2. The lower part of the chart shows a comparable area as marked for conservative cutting. The suppressed softwoods are to be cut, the thrifty ones left. The thrifty maple, birch and beech below 14 inches d. b. h. are left; no overmature, misshapen or diseased trees of these species are left. In each species except spruce and hemlock, more trees are cut than are left and the hemlocks are but four in number. One balsam tree is designated to be cut and is included with the spruce.

3. The following summary shows that as many trees and as great a volume can be obtained by conservative cutting as by the present practice and the forest left incomparably better for future growth:

The condition of the young growth below 6 inches d. b. h., not shown on the chart in the diagram for the average acre virtually clear-cut, is as follows:

Number of trees 1-5 inches, d. b. h., left per average acre:

* "Forest Pathology in Forest Regulation," U. S. Dept.

of Agriculture, Bul. 275, reviewed Proc. Soc. Am. F'sters, Vol. XI, No. 2, pp. 258-263.

and the seedlings (all below one inch, d. b. h.) were:

The condition in regard to slash carefully plotted on an average acre showed 40-50 per cent of the surface to be covered with slash.

The condition of the young growth below 6 inches d. b. h. on the average acre before virtual clear cutting of the hardwoods was thus:

Spruce (1-5 inch d. b. h. incl.).... 24 trees
Maple, hard

Maple, soft

Birch

Beech

Miscellaneous

Total

84

and the seedlings (all below one inch d. b. h.) were:

3. Sustained Yield Obtainable:

If it is agreed that the hardwood lands in the Adirondacks can be cut conservatively and as much volume obtained per acre as at present besides leaving the area in good shape for future growth, it remains to show whether the growth of hardwoods is sufficient to warrant this action and just what cuts may be expected in the future. What will the sustained yield be? i. e., the yield or cut of timber from a forest which is managed in such a way as to permit the continuous removal of an approximately equal volume of timber, annually or periodically, equal to the increment.

The answer is found in some data gathered by Cornell foresters in 1915, and published in Forestry Quarterly, Vol. XIV, No. 2, for June, 1916, under the title, "A Practical Application of Pressler's Formula."

The figures show the following current annual growth