Study Ii Care Of The Woodland
Almost every farm, large private estate or park has a wooded area for
the purpose of supplying fuel or for enhancing the landscape effect of
the place. In most instances these wooded areas are entirely neglected
or are so improperly cared for as to cause injury rather than good. In
but very few cases is provision made for a future growth of trees after
the present stock has gone. Proper attention will increase and
perpetuate a crop of good trees just as it will any other crop on the
farm, while the attractiveness of the place may be greatly enhanced
through the intelligent planting and care of trees.
How to judge the conditions: A close examination of the wooded area may
reveal some or all of the following unfavorable conditions:
The trees may be so crowded that none can grow well. A few may have
grown to large size but the rest usually are decrepit, and
overtopped by the larger trees. They are, therefore, unable, for the
want of light and space, to develop into good trees. Fig. 139 shows
woodland in such condition.
There may also be dead and dying trees, trees infested with
injurious insects and fungi and having any number of decayed
branches. The trees may be growing so far apart that their trunks
will be covered with suckers as far down as the ground, or there may
be large, open gaps with no trees at all. Here the sun, striking
with full force, may be drying up the soil and preventing the
decomposition of the leaves. Grass soon starts to grow in these open
spaces and the whole character of the woodland changes as shown in
Figs. 140 and 141.
Where any of these conditions exist, the woodland requires
immediate attention. Otherwise, as time goes on, it deteriorates
more and more, the struggle for space among the crowded and
suppressed trees becomes more keen, the insects in the dying trees
multiply and disease spreads from tree to tree. Under such
conditions, the soil deteriorates and the older trees begin to
suffer.
The attention required for the proper care of woodland may be summed
up under the four general heads of _soil preservation_, _planting_,
_cutting_, and _protection_.
Improvement by soil preservation: The soil in a wooded area can best be
preserved and kept rich by doing two things; by retaining the
fallen leaves on the ground and by keeping the ground well covered
with a heavy growth of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. The
fallen leaves decompose, mix with the soil and form a dark-colored
material known as _humus_. The humus supplies the tree with a
considerable portion of its food and helps to absorb and retain the
moisture in the soil upon which the tree is greatly dependent. A
heavy growth of trees and shrubs has a similar effect by serving to
retain the moisture in the soil.
Improvement by planting: The planting of new trees is a necessity on
almost any wooded area. For even where the existing trees are in
good condition, they cannot last forever, and provision must be made
for others to take their place after they are gone. The majority of
the wooded areas in our parks and on private estates are not
provided with a sufficient undergrowth of desirable trees to take
the place of the older ones. Thus, also, the open gaps must be
planted to prevent the soil from deteriorating.
Waste lands on farms which are unsuited for farm crops often offer
areas on which trees may profitably be planted. These lands are
sufficiently good in most cases to grow trees, thus affording a
means of turning into value ground which would otherwise be
worthless. It has been demonstrated that the returns from such
plantations at the end of fifty years will yield a six per cent
investment and an extra profit of $151.97 per acre, the expense
totaling at the end of fifty years, $307.03. The value of the land
is estimated at $4 per acre and the cost of the trees and planting
at $7 per acre. The species figured on here is white pine, one of
the best trees to plant from a commercial standpoint. With other
trees, the returns will vary accordingly.
The usual idea that it costs a great deal to plant several thousand
young trees is erroneous. An ordinary woodlot may be stocked with a
well-selected number of young trees at a cost less than the price
generally paid for a dozen good specimen trees for the front lawn.
It is not necessary to underplant the woodlot with big trees. The
existing big trees are there to give character to the forest and the
new planting should be done principally as a future investment and
as a means of perpetuating the life of the woodlot. Young trees are
even more desirable for such planting than the older and more
expensive ones. The young trees will adapt themselves to the local
soil and climatic conditions more easily than the older ones. Their
demand for food and moisture is more easily satisfied, and because
of their small cost, one can even afford to lose a large percentage
of them after planting.
The young plants should be two-year-old seedlings or three-year-old
"transplants."
Two-year-old seedlings are trees that have been grown from the seed
in seed beds until they reach that age. They run from two to fifteen
inches in height, depending upon the species.
Three-year-old "transplants" have been grown from the seed in seed
beds and at the end of the first or second year have been taken up
and transplanted into rows, where they grow a year or two longer.
They are usually a little taller than the two-year-old seedlings,
are much stockier and have a better root system. For this reason,
three-year-old transplants are a little more desirable as stock for
planting. They will withstand drought better than seedlings.
The best results from woodland planting are obtained with
native-grown material. Such stock is stronger, hardier and better
acclimated. Foreign-grown stock is usually a little cheaper, owing
to the fact that it has been grown abroad, under cheap labor
conditions.
The trees may be purchased from reputable dealers, of whom there are
many in this country. These dealers specialize in growing young
trees and selling them at the low cost of three to ten dollars per
thousand. In States in which a Forestry Commission has been
inaugurated, there have also been established State nurseries where
millions of little trees are grown for reforestation purposes. In
order to encourage private tree planting, the Forestry Commissions
are usually willing to sell some of these trees at cost price, under
certain conditions, to private land owners. Inquiries should be
made to the State Forestry Commission.
Great care must be taken to select the species most suitable for the
particular soil, climatic and light conditions of the woodlot. The
trees which are native to the locality and are found growing
thriftily on the woodlot, are the ones that have proven their
adaptability to the local conditions and should therefore be the
principal species used for underplanting. A list from which to
select the main stock would, therefore, vary with the locality. In
the Eastern States it would comprise the usual hardy trees like the
red, pin and scarlet oaks, the beech, the red and sugar maples, the
white ash, the tulip tree, sycamore, sweet gum and locust among the
deciduous trees; the white, Austrian, red, pitch and Scotch pines,
the hemlock and the yew among the conifers.
With the main stock well selected, one may add a number of trees and
shrubs that will give to the woodland scene a pleasing appearance at
all seasons. The brilliant autumnal tints of the sassafras,
pepperidge, blue beech, viburnum, juneberry and sumach are
strikingly attractive. The flowering dogwood along the drives and
paths will add a charm in June as well as in autumn and an
occasional group of white birch will have the same effect if planted
among groups of evergreens. Additional undergrowth of native
woodland shrubs, such as New Jersey tea, red-berried elder and
blueberry for the Eastern States, will augment the naturalness of
the scene and help to conserve the moisture in the soil.
Two or three years' growth will raise these plants above all grass
and low vegetation, and a sprinkling of laurel, rhododendron, hardy
ferns and a few intermingling colonies of native wild flowers such
as bloodroot, false Solomon's seal and columbines for the East, as
a ground cover will put the finishing touches to the forest scene.
As to methods of planting the little trees, the following
suggestions may prove of value. As soon as the plants are received,
they should be taken from the box and dipped in a thick puddle of
water and loam. The roots must be thoroughly covered with the mud.
Then the bundles into which the little trees are tied should be
loosened and the trees placed in a trench dug on a slant. The dirt
should be placed over the roots and the exposed parts of the plants
covered with brush or burlap to keep away the rays of the sun.
When ready for planting, a few plants are dug up, set in a pail with
thin mud at the bottom and carried to the place of planting. The
most economical method of planting is for one man to make the holes
with a mattock. These holes are made about a foot in diameter, by
scraping off the sod with the mattock and then digging a little hole
in the dirt underneath. A second man follows with a pail of plants
and sets a single plant in this hole with his hands, see Fig. 129,
making sure that the roots are straight and spread out on the bottom
of the hole. The dirt should then be packed firmly around the plant
and pressed down with the foot.
Improvement by cutting: The removal of certain trees in a grove is often
necessary to improve the quality of the better trees, increase their
growth, make the place accessible, and enhance its beauty. Cutting
in a wooded area should be confined to suppressed trees, dead and
dying trees and trees badly infested with insects and disease. In
case of farm woodlands, mature trees of market value may be cut, but
in parks and on private estates these have a greater value when left
standing. The cutting should leave a clean stand of well-selected
specimens which will thrive under the favorable influence of more
light and growing space. Considerable care is required to prevent
injury to the young trees when the older specimens are cut and
hauled out of the woods. The marking of the trees to be removed can
best be done in summer when the dead and live trees can be
distinguished with ease and when the requisite growing space for
each tree can be judged better from the density of the crowns. The
cutting, however, can be done most advantageously in winter.
Immediately after cutting all diseased and infested wood should be
destroyed. The sound wood may be utilized for various purposes. The
bigger logs may be sold to the local lumber dealers and the smaller
material may be used for firewood. The remaining brush should be
withdrawn from the woodlot to prevent fire during the dry summer
months.
In marking trees for removal, a number of considerations are to be
borne in mind besides the elimination of dead, diseased and
suppressed trees. When the marker is working among crowding trees of
equal height, he should save those that are most likely to grow into
fine specimen trees and cut out all those that interfere with them.
The selection must also favor trees which are best adapted to the
local soil and climatic conditions and those which will add to the
beauty of the place. In this respect the method of marking will be
different from that used in commercial forestry, where the aim is to
net the greatest profit from the timber. In pure forestry practice,
one sees no value in such species as dogwood, ironwood, juneberry,
sumac and sassafras, and will therefore never allow those to grow up
in abundance and crowd out other trees of a higher market value. But
on private estates and in park woodlands where beauty is an
important consideration, such species add wonderful color and
attractiveness to the forest scene, especially along the roads and
paths, and should be favored as much as the other hardier trees. One
must not mark too severely in one spot or the soil will be dried out
from exposure to sun and wind. When the gaps between the trees are
too large, the trees will grow more slowly and the trunks will
become covered with numerous shoots or suckers which deprive the
crowns of their necessary food and cause them to "die back." Where
the trees are tall and slim or on short and steep hillsides, it is
also important to be conservative in marking in order that the stand
may not be exposed to the dangers of windfall. No hard-and-fast rule
can be laid down as to what would constitute a conservative
percentage of trees to cut down. This depends entirely on the local
conditions and on the exposure of the woodlot. But in general it is
not well to remove more than twenty per cent of the stand nor to
repeat the cutting on the same spot oftener than once in five or six
years. The first cutting will, of course, be the heaviest and all
subsequent cuttings will become lighter and lighter until the
woodlot is put in good growing condition. On private estates and
parks, where beauty is the chief aim, the woodland should be kept as
natural, informal and as thick as possible. Where the woodland is
cut up by many paths and drives, density of vegetation will add to
the impression of depth and distance.
Protection: This subject has already been discussed considerably in the
previous study on Forestry, and here it becomes necessary merely to
add a few suggestions with special reference to private and park
woodlands.
Guarding woodlands from _fire_ is the most important form of
protection. Surface fires are very common on small woodland holdings
and the damage done to the standing vegetation is generally
underestimated. An ordinary ground or surface fire on a woodland
area will burn up the leaf-litter and vegetable mold, upon which the
trees depend so much for food and moisture, and will destroy the
young seedlings on the ground. Where the fire is a little more
severe, the older trees are badly wounded and weakened and the
younger trees are frequently killed outright. Insects and disease
find these trees an easy prey, and all related forest conditions
commence to deteriorate.
Constant watchfulness and readiness to meet any emergency are the
keynote of effective fire protection. Notices similar to the one
shown in Fig. 143 often help to prevent fires. It is also helpful to
institute strict rules against dropping lighted matches or tobacco,
or burning brush when the ground is very dry, or leaving smouldering
wood without waiting to see that the fire is completely out. There
should be many roads and foot-paths winding through the woodland in
order that they may serve as checks or "fire lanes" in time of fire.
These roads and paths should be kept free from brush and leaves and
should be frequently patrolled. When made not too wide,
unpretentious and in conformity with the natural surroundings, such
drives and paths can become a very interesting feature of the place,
winding through the woodland, exposing its charms and affording
opportunity for pleasant driving and walking. The borders of the
paths can be given special attention by placing the more beautiful
native shrubs in prominent positions where they can lend increased
attractiveness.
In case of fire, it should be possible to call for aid by telephone
directly from the woodland and to find within easy reach the tools
necessary to combat fire. It is also important to obtain the
co-operation of one's neighbors in protecting the adjoining
woodlands, because the dangers from insects, disease and fire
threatening one bit of woodland area are more or less dependent upon
the conditions in the adjoining woodland.
As to other forms of protection, passing mention may be made of the
importance of keeping out cattle, sheep and hogs from the woods, of
eliminating all insects and disease, of keeping the ground free from
brush and other inflammable material, of retaining on the ground all
fallen leaves and keeping the forest well stocked with little trees
and shrubs.
Forest lands may be exempted from taxation: In New York and other States
there exists a State law providing for exemption or reduction in
taxes upon lands which are planted with forest trees or maintained
as wooded areas. The object of the law is to encourage home forestry
and to establish fairness in the agricultural land-tax law by
placing forest lands in the same category with other crop-producing
lands. For detailed information and a copy of the law, one should
address the local State Forestry Commission.
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Tree Studies
How To Identify Trees
Group I The Pines
The White Pine (pinus Strobus)
The Pitch Pine (pinus Rigida)
The Scotch Pine (pinus Sylvestris)
Group Ii The Spruce And Hemlock
The Norway Spruce (picea Excelsa)
Hemlock (tsuga Canadensis)
Group Iii The Red Cedar And Arbor-vitae
Red Cedar (juniperus Virginiana)
Arbor-vitae; Northern White Cedar (thuja Occidentalis)
Group Iv The Larch And Cypress
The European Larch (larix Europaea)
Bald Cypress (taxodium Distichum)
Group V The Horsechestnut, Ash And Maple
The Horsechestnut
The White Ash (fraxinus Americana)
Sugar Maple (acer Saccharum)
Silver Maple (acer Saccharinum)
Red Maple (acer Rubrum)
Norway Maple (acer Platanoides)
Box Elder (acer Negundo)
Group Vi Trees Told By Their Form: Elm, Poplar, Gingko And Willow
American Elm (ulmus Americana)
Lombardy Or Italian Poplar (populus Nigra, Var Italica)
Gingko Or Maidenhair Tree (gingko Biloba)
Weeping Willow (salix Babylonica)
Group Vii Trees Told By Their Bark Or Trunk: Sycamore, Birch, Beech,
Blue Beech, Ironwood, And Hackberry
The Sycamore Or Plane Tree (platanus Occidentalis)
Gray Or White Birch (betula Populifolia)
American Beech (fagus Americana)
Blue Beech Or Hornbeam (carpinus Caroliniana)
Hackberry (celtis Occidentalis)
Group Viii The Oaks And Chestnut
White Oak (quercus Alba)
Black Oak (quercus Velutina)
Red Oak (quercus Rubra)
Pin Oak (quercus Palustris)
Chestnut (castanea Dentata)
Group Ix The Hickories, Walnut And Butternut
Shagbark Hickory (hicoria Ovata)
Mockernut Hickory (hicoria Alba)
Black Walnut (juglans Nigra)
Group X Tulip Tree, Sweet Gum, Linden, Magnolia, Locust, Catalpa,
Dogwood, Mulberry And Osage Orange
Tulip Tree (liriodendron Tulipifera)
Sweet Gum (liquidambar Styraciflua)
American Linden (tilia Americana)
The Magnolias
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Informational