JOURNAL OF THE FORESTRY COMMISSION No. 28 : 1959 PRINTED FOR DEPARTMENTAL USE Forestry Commission ARCHIVE FORESTRY COMMISSION PUBIJCATIONS ISSUED IN 1959 General Reports Report of the Forest of Dean Committee, 1958 85. Od. (8s. 6d.) Annual Report of the Commissioners, 1958 5s. Od. (55. 6d.) Report on Forest Research, 1958 95. 6d.(105. Od.) Small Pulp Mill Survey (First “Sandwell” Report) 45.Od. (45. Ad.) Board Mill Survey (Second “Sandvvell” Report) 55. Od. (5.s. Ad.) Bulletin No. 31. Code of Sample Plot Procedure 155. Od. (155. 6d.) Forest Records No. 38. Design of Poplar Experiments I 5. 9d. (I5. 1 \d.) No. 40. Preliminary Yield Table for Poplar \s. 6d. (I5. %d.) No. 42. Use of Home-Grown Softwood in Housing Construction I 5. 3d. (15. 5d.) Guide Book Cambrian Forests 5s. Od. (55. 6d.) Free Pamphlet for Public Circulation Forestry and the Town School. Unpriced Publications for Circulation within the Commission: Forestry Commission Journal No. 27, 1958. Research Branch Paper No. 22. Direct Sowing Experiments in Scotland and Northern England. F o r e s t r y C o m m issio n J o u r n a l , N o . 28, 1959 JOURNAL OF THE FORESTRY COMMISSION No. 28 : 1959 PRINTED FOR DEPARTMENTAL CIRCULATION WITHIN THE FORESTRY COMMISSION 25 SAVILE ROW LONDON, W .l EDITING COMMITTEE James M acdonald, c.b.e., Chairman G. B. Ryle, c.b.e. D . H e a l e y H . L. E d l i n , Editor iii CONTENTS Page EDITORIAL .......... V Cartoon: Weight Lifting or Axemanship. d. t. patterson . xiv Notes on a Visit to Bulgarian Forests, sir henry beresford-peirse . 1 Royal Forestry Society: Swiss Tour. d. j. m acrae . 5 Excursion to Switzerland and Southern Germany, j. a . w o o d . 14 Report on a Tour to Study Effects of Mechanisation on Silviculture in Germany. R. G. c a th ie ........................................................................... 25 Report on Royal Scottish Forestry Society Excursion to Argyll (Party A), n. m. brow n ....... 33 (Party B). w. f. sto d d art ........................................................................... 37 A Visit to Glen Affric and Guisachan Forests. R. m acdonald . 41 A Discussion on Scots Pine. r. m acdonald . 45 Our Native Scots Pine. H. a. m axw ell and H. L. edlin . 54 A Visit to a Forest Tree Breeding Station in East Germany. A. S. G A R D I N E R ................................................................................................ 56 Electrical Weed Control, j. r. aldhous . 59 One-Man Lining-out Board, w. f. sto d d art ........................................................ 61 Afforestation on the Chalk Wolds of East Riding of Yorkshire. I. R. M ARSHALL ................................................................................................ 65 Afforestation of a Former Opencast Coal Site in Coed Morgannwg. j. w h i t e ...........................................................................................................69 Course on Management and Methods, Klagstorp, Sweden. c. E. A L L I S O N ................................................................................................74 Report on the International Training Course on Mechanised Forest Operations Held in Sweden. R. e. crow ther .... 89 Report on a General Course on Rationalisation in Forestry at Arnhem in Holland, i. toulm in-rotfie ............................................................... 102 The One-Man Power Saw—Use and Maintenance, a. s. turner . 122 Extraction of Forest Produce by Cableway in Italy and Switzerland. R. E. HUGHES.........................................................................................................135 Home-Grown Timber and the Building Trade. J. h o o p e r . 145 A Visit to the Olympia Building Exhibition, 1959. J. h o o p e r . 152 The Thetford Fire Plan. r . c h a r d . .154 Crow About Railway Fires, k. w. wilson . 190 Oh Forester! Where is Thy Bed? a. j. tackney . 193 Landslide Damage to Plantation at Moccas, Herefordshire. B. R. HAMMOND. 195 Scots Pine Defoliation on the West Coast, j. H. Thomson . 196 IV Page Damage to young Beech by the Common Rat. d. a. drummond, A. REDFERN and A. G. PYMAN ...... •2 0 0 The Fascination of Badger Watching, john m. french . 202 A Visit to Ordnance Survey Record Room and Museum. H. C. CRAWFORD ....... 204 Valuing Young Plantations, h. charters 210 Notable Arboreta Measured since 1950. a. f. m itchell . 224 Forestry Commission Staff List 234 Photographs . Central Inset ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks are due to the following for providing our photographs: Mr. John Q. Williamson for Plate 1; Studio 5, Brandon, Suffolk, for Plates 2 and 4; Mr. Marc Sale for Plates 3 and 5; Mr. K. Wilson for Plate 6; the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for Plate 7; the Director General, Ordnance Survey, for Plates 8, 9, 10, and 11; Sir Henry Beresford-Peirse for Plates 12 and 13; Mr. John French for Plate 14; Mr. Anthony A. Vickers for Plates 15 and 16; Mr. Vivian Knowles for Plates 17 and 18; and Mr. I. R. B. Marshall for Plate 19. All the text figures are based on sketches or photos by the respective authors, except for Fig. 35, which is reproduced by courtesy of the Director General, Ordnance Survey. V EDITORIAL The Commissioners The untimely death of Mr. William Hubert Vaughan, C.B.E., J.P., left a vacancy on the Commission which has been filled by the appointment of Alderman E. Gwyn Davies, of Port Talbot, South Wales. The Commission is now constituted as follows: The Earl of Radnor, K.G., K.C.V.O. Chairman Major D. C. Bowser, O.B.E. Lt. Col. Sir Richard Cotterell, Bt., J.P. Mr. A. P. F. Hamilton, C.I.E., O.B.E., M.C. Mr. Lloyd O. Owen, J.P. Major Sir John Stirling, K.T., M.B.E. Mr. Robert Taylor, J.P. Mr. Edward Brian Latham Major F. W. Strang Steel Alderman E. Gwyn Davies Mr. H. A. Turner, Secretary Honours As we go to press we are pleased to record the conferment of the Knight­ hood of the Garter on our Chairman, the Earl of Radnor. Others whose services have recently been honoured are Mr. Stanley Longhurst, a former Commissioner, who received the C.B.E.; Mr. G. B. Ryle, Director of Forestry for England, who also received the C.B.E.; Mr. J. P. Mackie Whyte, Conservator for Estates and Acquisitions in our Scottish Directorate, who received the O.B.E.; and Head Forester William Murray, of the Black Isle, North Scotland, who was also awarded the O.B.E. Promotions and Transfers At the close of the year our Deputy Director General, Sir Henry Beresford- Peirse, Bt., C.B., was seconded to the Forestry Division of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, with headquarters in Rome. To fill the vacancies that arose in consequence, the following acting promotions have been announced. Deputy Director General: Mr. James Macdonald, C.B.E. Director (Headquarters): Mr. J. Q. Williamson, M.B.E. Conservator (Utilisation) at Headquarters: Mr. E. G. Richards, M.C. In October, our former Chief Research Officer, Mr. M. V. Laurie, was appointed to the Chair of Forestry at Oxford University. Professor Laurie also becomes head of the Imperial Forestry Institute, and in both these capacities will continue to have many contacts with our work and our staff. Mr. T. R. Peace, formerly a Divisional Officer, has been promoted to Chief Research Officer, with the rank of Conservator. Following on the retirement of Mr. E. Wynne Jones, Mr. W. A. Cadman, formerly Divisional Officer at the headquarters of the Welsh Directorate, has been appointed Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest. Mr. R. Drummond, Divisional Officer, has been transferred from South Wales to the Welsh Direc­ torate headquarters at Aberystwyth. Promotions from District Officer to Divisional Officer during the year were: . Mr. G. D. Holmes, of the Research Branch. Mr. P. H. Legard, who has moved from the office of Director, Scotland' to South Wales Conservancy. Mr. K. R. Snook, who has moved from South East England to East England, to take charge of Estates work. Mr. L. H. Williams, who continues in charge of Estates work in the South Wales Conservancy. Mr. M. L. David, the Deputy Establishment Officer, left us during the year on transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. His place has been taken by Mr. N. E. D. Burton. Mr. A. P. Lenman, Chief Clerk in the Scottish East Conservancy office at Aberdeen, has moved to London on promotion to Chief Executive Officer in the Finance Branch at Headquarters. Mr. J. Steele, formerly Chief Clerk at Chester, has moved to Aberdeen in the same capacity. Mr. J. W. Elliott, previously in the South Scotland Conservancy, has been promoted to Senior Executive Officer and appointed Chief Clerk to the North- West England Conservancy, at Chester. Retirements and Departures Mr. E. Wynne Jones has retired from the post of Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest, after a ten-year spell of service there which included some notable developments. He was largely responsible for securing agreement on the new “Verderers Enclosures”, in which 2,000 acres of heathland will be afforested with particular regard to amenities and the avoidance of accidents to the Commoners’ ponies and cattle. He has also carried out much good work in the regeneration of the “Ancient and Ornamental” Woods by means of small temporary enclosures, and he has completed the replanting of all the areas felled during the last war. Mr. Wynne Jones’ previous posts included that of Conservator at the headquarters of the English Directorate and that of Chief Acquisitions Officer. Mr. Eddie Hill has retired from the post of Land Agent in the Forest of Dean after an exceptionally long career, which began forty-eight years previously under the old Office of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues of the Crown. We regret to report that Mr. H. Cruickshank, a District Officer in the Research Branch at Alice Holt, who was formerly in charge of the Forester Training School at Faskally in Perthshire, has been obliged by ill-health to retire from the Commission’s service.