Applied Sylviculture in the United States

Abstract

This book is concerned with the forests of the United States as they are at the present time, the ecological background of their present development, and the problem of their management on a silvicultural basis, properly coordinated with economics of the forest industry. There is no doubt that this problem, for the country as a whole, is complex. Factors of environment, logging history, and changing economy, all differing in some degree with time and place, have and are contributing to this complexity. The author bases his work on the results of innumerable investigations that have been carried out in the forests and forest lands of the United States for years past, by universities, Government research stations, and private enterprise, and the comprehensive lists of references that follow each chapter bear ample testimony to the thoroughness of his survey of relevant literature. In order to present his material clearly and systematically, the author has divided the country, including Alaska, into 18 regions, and devotes one chapter to each of these regions, following exactly the same procedure in each case. Each region is relatively more uniform than the whole country, as regards both natural and economic conditions, and is therefore easier to dissect, analyse, and prescribe for. The size and boundaries of each region are determined largely by the extent of adjacent forest associations that are relatively similar, or by the limits of a relatively uniform topography or climate. Size varies from that of the Central Hardwood Regions which include all of 5 states and parts of 8 others in the Central United States, bearing 55, 000, 000 acres of forested land and 15, 000, 000 acres of submarginal or abandoned land, to that of the Redwood Region, which is confined to a narrow strip along the coast of California, bearing approximately 1, 000, 000 acres of forested land. An examination of any one chapter, as for example that of the Lake States Region, will show how the author has dealt with his material. In a brief note on location and land ownership it is pointed out that this region lies in the north half of the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and that the estimated area of forested land is 56, 000, 000 acres of which about 20 per cent. is under public ownership. The factors of topography, soil, and climate are then outlined, with particular attention to those that affect the establishment and growth of regeneration. The logging history of the region is discussed briefly, and it is pointed out how past treatment has affected the distribution and composition of the present forest. The forest types of the region are then dealt with individually. First the type is described from the ecological aspect as to composition and character of the forest, stand regeneration and stand development, and then it is discussed from the economic angle on the basis of growth and rotation, utilization and marketing problems, and financial considerations. Having thus analysed the present natural and economic conditions for a particular forest type, certain silvicultural methods, which appear to be most practical under the circumstances, are recommended. These include cutting methods to be applied to merchantable stands, cultural methods to be used for improving the quality and growth rate of young stands, and methods concerned primarily with regeneration, both by natural and artificial means. Brief mention is made of the related problems of slash disposal, disease and insect attack, and damage by animals and logging. As all recommendations are based on the results of work that has been carried out in the United States, it is clear that a silvicultural practice is being developed to meet the particular needs and conditions of that country. Westveld's description of the natural and economic conditions is clear and concise, and his correlation of adjustments in silvicultural technique with changes in these conditions is most logical. This book should go far towards simplifying the problem of silviculture, both for the student and the practising forester. KEYWORDS: USA \ silviculture