J. E. Barton

“ Forestry then, so far as it relates to the farm and woodlot, may be defined as dealing with trees as communities and the growing and marketing of these trees for a profit. It is a simple proposition, the same as raising corn. In raising corn, the ground is prepared, the seed is planted at a certain time in the spring, the necessary attention is given during the growing season and in the fall it is harvested and sold. A certain price is obtained for the grain and a certain price for the stalks, usually in the form of fodder for stock. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The value of the timber crop depends on how much material you raise to the acre, the kind and quality of the product you have to market and the demand in the market for the class of material to which the timber crop is particularly adapted. The chief difference is this: that, whereas, the corn crop has been planted, harvested and marketed within one growing season, a forest crop takes a period of growing seasons before it is ready to market. The precise length of this period depends on the kind of material you are to raise, as fence posts, ties, lumber, etc. ”

“ As a means of regeneration of worn out land, especially hillsides, which are liable to erosion and do not lend themselves easily to a scientific rotation of crops, a forest cover is a very important factor since it furnishes to the soil the essential humus and, when such species as the black locust or honey locust are planted, it furnishes the nitrogenous elements to the soil, since the locusts are legumes and produce on their roots nodules of nitrifying organisms similar to those found on the roots of alfalfa, cow-peas or soy beans. ”

“ 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 [15] growing species have been cut and during the restocking of the area. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ On the big majority of farms in Kentucky, there are certain areas which are not good farm land and never will be for a variety of reasons (inferior soil, rocky soil, too steep a slope, etc.) ; but these lands in most cases can produce timber crops and should be producing them, since they are a commercial adjunct to the farm and bring in a revenue. ”

“ 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. ”

“ As a general proposition, the raising of lumber or timber by an individual is out of the question on account of the length of time which it takes to grow the better grades of this material. Ordinarily, a tree fifty years old will furnish only the poorest grades of lumber and usually only small dimension stock. Generally speaking, one hundred years is not too small a calculation for the length of rotation when lumber is the aim. ”

“ In the first place, forestry deals with trees as a community and not as an individual—that is, it deals with them in the bulk and in this respect differs from kindred sciences where the individual tree is a matter of concern. ”

“ Further, since in all probability a shelter belt is of most use and is most desirable in the winter time, the component species in the shelter belt should be, to a large extent, evergreens, so that the effectiveness may be as great in winter as in summer. In connection with an orchard, a shelter belt or wind break, undoubtedly, protects against cold and destructive currents of air which injure the orchard in various ways either by injuring the blossoms of the fruit, or at a later period, by injuring the fruit, which is blown from the trees by the wind and left in bad condition for shipping. ”

“ The species then which should compose a shelter belt should, as far as possible, have these characteristics. They should grow fast to furnish the maximum amount of protection in the shortest space of time, and should have as wide a usefulness as possible. So far as the majority of instances are concerned, the shelter belt might have two objects. The production of useful material for the farm as fence posts as well as a wind break. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ It is indigenous to the State, grows fairly rapidly and lasts a long time in contact with the soil, three prime requisites of any species which is to be used in the growing of this class of material. Other species which may be used are catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) , walnut, osage orange, chestnut and juniper (also known locally as cedar or red cedar) .
2. As a general proposition, it appears that the maintenance of a woodlot for the growing of fuel, so far as Kentucky is concerned, is not an important consideration. ”

“ On this account the woodlot will supply only a very small amount of fuel and consideration of this matter is not important. If it does happen that a supply of fuel wood is desirable or necessary on the farm, undoubtedly, hickory and oak lend themselves most readily for this purpose. Any species of hickory grows fairly rapidly, and certain species of oak, as for instance red [8] oak, makes a reasonably rapid growth. A woodlot for this purpose would be managed as a sprout forest. ”

“ So far as my observation goes throughout the State—even in the rural districts—coal is the general fuel in use on account of the abundance of supply and is in a large number of ways cheaper and preferable to wood as a fuel. ”

“ You also find crooked and defective and diseased trees, and further you ordinarily do not find in any particular woodlot one-half the trees that the ground will support, which is about the worst feature of all, since here is an economic waste. ”

“ 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. ”

“ No attempt has been made in this bulletin to deal exhaustively with the woodlot problem. The desire has been to point the way for the improvement of the woodlots in Kentucky. Individual cases deserve specific consideration, and only the main features of the proposition have been touched upon. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The forester is often called upon to answer questions and discuss matters with relation to shade trees or ornamental trees, but this is not a matter within his province properly, but is a matter for the landscape architect or horticulturist. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ In the preparation of this bulletin, free use has been made of all bulletins and publications on this subject, which the writer has been able to get hold of and acknowledgment is made to these as a whole, since it would be impracticable to make complete individual acknowledgement.
WHAT IS FORESTRY?
To the average individual, forestry as a science does not mean very much. ”