REGENERATION OF THE WOODLOT.

When the question of the regeneration of the woodlot is seriously considered there are several points which stand out prominently as follows:

  1. Protection.
  2. Taking of stock.
  3. Removal of undesirable species.
  4. Selection of desirable species.
  5. Method of regeneration.
  6. Care and management.

1. Protection. It is essential that a woodlot shall be protected if it is to be an asset to the owner and brings him financial returns. There are two destructive agencies against which he must make special efforts, fire and stock. It may seem unnecessary to point out the various bad effects which fire and stock have on woodlands, but they are nevertheless here set forth in brief. Fire destroys timber utterly, injures it so that it is subject to insect and fungi attacks, lowers the grade of the timber, destroys or seriously injures reproduction, destroys humus and lowers the productive capacity of the soil. There is no way in which burning over a woodland improves the character of the forest. Stock have a very injurious effect on trees, especially young growth. Some stock eat up the nuts and berries and seeds which are the means of reproducing the forest. Other stock browse on the young trees which have started, destroying the young growth altogether or seriously gnawing other trees thereby leaving them badly malformed and depleted in vitality. By rubbing against small trees stock also do a great deal of harm. So stock should be rigidly excluded from the woodlot, or at least until all the trees are well developed and even then no good is accomplished. If possible, the woodlot should be well fenced. The other destructive agencies against which protection may become necessary are insects and disease. If fire and stock are excluded, the chances of insects and disease doing serious damage is materially decreased. Diseases and insects are best kept in check by keeping the wooded area clean of dead and decaying material. In case of serious insect infestation it may in some cases pay to spray the trees, but under ordinary conditions this is not practical. The common way of fighting disease and insects is to cut down and burn all affected trees.

2. Taking of Stock. The next step in the regeneration of our woodland is to find out the extent and character of the stock on hand, for we can not proceed intelligently without this knowledge. This taking of stock may be a purely ocular process or it may be a detailed estimate and description, depending on the extent of the woodland and the desires of the owner. All reproduction should be accounted for as well as the older stock on hand. The taking of stock should also involve the division of species into desirable and undesirable species, by desirable species being meant such species as it is desired to encourage because of the demand for it in the local market or because of the use which may be made of it by the owner on his farm. The desirable species will usually include the fast growing species.

3. Removal of Undesirable Species and Trees. The first actual work in connection with the regeneration of the woodlot is the removal of undesirable species. When this is undertaken the local market and other markets should be carefully studied in order that, if possible, a sale may be found for the material which is removed, so that the work may pay for itself. In determining what are undesirable species there are several factors which will govern and no specific list of trees can be cited. The desire of the owner, the market for the material, rapidity of growth and other features are among the important considerations. Such trees as blue beach, horn beam, red bud, service berry and others have no rightful place in a woodlot since they take up space without furnishing any product of value, unless the wooded area is desired for its aesthetic features. In a woodlot which is maintained for fence posts and fuel it would be poor policy to retain any but those species which make good fence post material and fuel and grow rapidly. In this matter, common sense will go a long way. Also badly suppressed trees, malformed and diseased or infected individuals should be removed as far as practicable.

4. Selection of Desirable Species. In the selection of desirable species there are a large number of considerations, and the first of these is the purpose of the owner in maintaining the woodlot. For instance, if the owner desires fence posts, and fencing material, his woodlot will, in Kentucky, be confined to those species which produce such material quickly, as for example black locust, catalpa, chestnut and walnut, also it will be well to have a percentage of red cedar (juniper) in the mixture, for since red cedar grows comparatively slowly, it may be reserved to be cut as the second crop and will serve to shade the ground and prevent erosion when the faster growing species have been cut and during the restocking of the area. If fuel as well as fence post material is desired, a mixture including hickory, oak and chestnut would be desirable. If ties, posts, poles or other products are an object, certain species are desirable and are easily grown. A list of trees suitable for various purposes is herewith given. No species are included in this list which will not produce marketable material repeatedly within the lifetime of a single individual. Only in unusual cases is the raising of trees for lumber recommended as a feasible or profitable venture for the individual farm owner.

Fence posts and fencing material—Black locust, catalpa, chestnut, walnut, oak, red cedar (juniper).

Fuel—Oak, hickory, maple, chestnut.

Poles—Chestnut, catalpa, red cedar.

Ties—Black locust, catalpa, chestnut, walnut, oak.

Vehicle material and handle stock—Hickory.

5. Methods of Regeneration. There are several things which must be done to secure a good forest over the area. If natural seeding is to be depended upon for reproduction, the ground must be prepared to receive the seed. Sometimes the sod will be so thick over the area that seeds get no chance to generate. In this case, the sod should be plowed up, if possible, or harrowed so that the seeds may have a suitable opportunity to start. To do well, it is necessary that the seeds and seedlings have easy access to the mineral soil. It may be that the ground is so shaded that seedlings do not receive the necessary sunlight. If this be so, sufficiently large openings should be made in the forest cover to admit the required light. It may be that natural seeding does not proceed rapidly enough and that this must be supplemented by the sowing of seed artificially. When artificial sowing is resorted to it will be found that there are several methods of sowing which recommend themselves: broadcast, sowing in prepared rows, sowing in prepared seed spots and sowing with a corn planter either in rows or spots. This last method is recommended as being usually most satisfactory and economical. Sowing with a corn planter can be resorted to only in the case of small seeds. Large seeds, such as walnuts, hickory nuts, etc., must be planted by hand, but when this is done they are liable to be eaten by squirrels or other rodents, in which case it may be necessary to plant such seeds in small protected seed beds and then transplant the seedlings to the place where they are desired.

If planting is to be depended upon for reforesting, the nursery stock obtained should be small seedlings not over one or two years old or transplants two to three years old. If the amount of planting to be done is large, it may be wise to start seed beds close to the ground where the planting is to be done and not to depend on commercial nurseries for stock.

6. Care and Management. It will be found that the care and management of the woodlot is relatively a simple matter after the forest is well established and that the character of the stock and the amount and quality of the products will improve materially with management. There are certain systems of management which recommend themselves for woodlots such as the (1) simple coppice (2) pole wood coppice (3) coppice with standards or variations of these. The three methods here cited are briefly described.

Simple Coppice. This is a system of management wherein all the stand is cut and the restocking of the area is secured by sprouts from the old stumps. Under this system the stand should be cut at an age not to exceed twenty-five years and preferably about fifteen years, although this is usually impossible from a commercial standpoint. The cutting should be done in the late fall, winter or early spring. The stumps should be cut low, smooth and slanting so as to shed water and prevent decay. After a time under this system the sprouting capacity of the stump is greatly reduced and arrangement must be made to secure new individuals either by direct seeding or by planting.

Pole Wood Coppice. This system involves the leaving of certain trees until they reach the pole wood stage and are suitable for such products as ties, poles, etc. It is a favorite method of handling woodlots.

Pole Wood Standards. This system involves the leaving of a certain few trees until they are of large size. Such trees should usually be from the seed.

In the management of the woodland, it will be necessary to make several cuttings before the final cutting at the end of the rotation, usually one or two. A thinning may early become necessary to give the best specimens a better chance for growth. Sometimes two thinnings may be required. Often a thinning may be required to secure reproduction by opening up the forest cover and exposing the ground so that young growth may have the opportunity to get started.

In the final cutting, when all or the major part of the crop is cut, the material should be removed from the ground as rapidly as possible and the brush disposed of when practical. The disposal of brush will usually take the form of lopping the limbs from the tops and scattering them, so as to secure early decay of the waste material. Sometimes the brush may be advantageously piled and burned.