Forestry Commission ARCHIVE Fo re stry Com m ission: Bulletin No. 1 4 London: Hen Majesty’s Stationery Office Price 6d. net FORESTRY COMMISSION BULLETIN No. 14 FORESTRY PRACTICE A Summary of Methods of Establishing Forest Nurseries and Plantations with Advice on other Forestry Questions for Owners, Agents and Foresters Eighth Edition 1964 Edited by Herbert L. Edlin, B.Sc., Dip.For. Forestry Commission LONDON: HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE 1964 First published 1933 Eighth Edition 1964 © Crown copyright 1964 Published by H er M ajesty’s Stationery O ffice To be purchased from York House, Kings way, Londonw.c.2 423 Oxford Street, London w.l 13a Castle Street, Edinburgh 2 109 St. Mary Street, Cardiff 39 King Street, Manchester 2 50 Fairfax Street, Bristol 1 35 Smallbrook, Ringway, Birmingham 5 80 Chichester Street, Belfast 1 or through any bookseller Printed in England for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office by James Townsend & Sons, Ltd., Exeter. FOREWORD T his Bulletin was originally conceived in 1933 by the late Sir Francis Acland, who was then a Forestry Commissioner, with the object of making available to landowners and others concerned with private estates, the experience and knowledge gained by the Commission’s staff. It does not purport to be a formal textbook covering the whole science of forestry, but rather a handbook of those operations that the aveiage landowner, his agent, or his forester, have to tackle most frequently. As Acland pointed out, no printed account can provide a complete substitute for the information and advice that an owner may gain from an actual inspection of his woods by a professional consultant or by one of the Commission’s staff concerned with advisory work. But much useful knowledge, and a host of facts required for reference, can be set down in print. Over the past thirty years, seven editions of this Bulletin have been issued, and the necessity for a full revision, to take account of the many recent developments, had become apparent. This work was entrusted, in 1963, to a group of experienced Forestry Commission officers who augmented their own experience and knowledge with that held by other members of the Commission’s staff. This present edition is, therefore, very much the outcome of team work, though certain people have been mainly responsible for particular sections. Mr. J. R. Aldous is the principal author of Part I, which deals with Nursery Work; he was assisted by Mr. J. Atterson. Mr. R. F. Wood is responsible for the revision of Chapters 8 to 12, on the Establishment of Plantations. Chapter 13, on Thinning, was overhauled by Mr. D. R. Johnston and Mr. J. W. L. Zehetmayr. Dr. D. H. Phillips saw to Chapter 14, on Diseases, Mr. D. Bevan to Chap­ ter 15, on Insects, and Mr. C. A. Connell to Chapter 16 on Fire Protection. Chapters 17 to 19, on Utilisation, have been revised by Mr. E. G. Richards, while the notes on forest tools in Chapter 20 were contributed by Mr. J. W. L. Zehetmayr. FORESTRY COMMISSION, 25 Savile Row, London, W.l. June 1964 CONTENTS PAGE PAGE PART I : NURSERY WORK C h a pte r 6. N u rsery P r o tec t io n 21 C h a pt e r 1. E stablishing a F orest C h a pte r 7. N u rsery E q u ipm e n t . 22 N ursery .... 1 Site Requirem ents ................................. 1 S i z e ......................................................... 2 Layout ................................................. 2 PART II : PLANTATION WORK Site P reparation ................................. 2 Fencing the Nursery .... 2 C h a pte r 8. C h o o sin g the L and and Initial Fertilizing and Correction of th e C rop .... 24 Excess A c id ity................................. 2 Selection of Land for Planting . 24 C h a pte r 2. T he G r o w in g of Selection of Species to Plant . 24 S eedling s .... 3 Seed Sources and Provenance . 27 Supply of S eed......................................... 3 Imported S eed ..................................................27 Storage of Seed ......................................... 3 Tabular Notes on Individual Species 28 Preparation of the Ground . 3 Most Commonly Used Conifers . 28 Preparation of Seed for Sowing . 6 Other C onifers ..........................................32 Sowing and Covering the Seed . 6 Principal Hardwoods .... 34 Care of Seedlings ................................. 8 Hardwoods of Limited Forest Value 36 S h e lte rin g ................................................. 8 Pure Crops and Mixtures . 38 Weed Control on Seedbeds . 8 Lifting and Grading Seedlings. 10 C h a pte r 9. P r e p a r in g L and for Storage, Packing and Transport 10 P la n t in g .... 39 Undercutting Seedbeds .... 12 Bare L a n d ..........................................................39 D r a i n i n g ..........................................................40 C h a pte r 3. R aising T ra n spla n t s F e n c i n g ..........................................................42 from S eedling s . 12 Table of Fencing Specifications . 42 Supply of Seedlings for Transplanting . 12 Time of Transplanting .... 13 Preparation of Ground .... 13 C h a pt e r 10. E stablishment of Plants Awaiting Lining Out . 13 P la n ta tio ns . 44 Lining-O ut.......................................................... 13 Planting M ethods ......................................... 44 Weeding Transplant Lines . 16 Time of P lan tin g ..........................................45 Lifting and Grading Transplants . 16 Age and Type of Plant .... 45 Surplus P lan ts .................................................. 17 Handling of P lan ts ......................................... 46 Packing, Transport and Storage of Organisation of Planting . 47 Transplants . 17 Use of Fertilizers in the Year of Planting 47 S p a c i n g ..........................................................48 C h a pte r 4. M a n u r in g and Beating U p ..................................................48 M ana g em en t . 18 W e e d i n g ..........................................................49 M a n u rin g .......................................................... 18 Drain Maintenance......................................... 49 Lime Requirements and Soil Acidity ( p H ) .......................................................... 19 C h a pt e r 11. T reatm en t of F ormer Management and Rotation of Crops 19 W ood la n d . 49 Nursery Plans and Records . 20 Woods already Cleared .... 49 Stocktaking of Plants .... 20 Woods Invaded by Coppice, Scrub or Forward Planning ..........................................20 Young Seedling Trees .... 50 C h apter 5. R aising P oplars and Natural Regeneration .... 53 W illow s .... 21 The Use of Herbicides .... 53 v CONTENTS PAGE page C h a pter 12. T reatm ent of C o ppic e 54 PART III : UTILISATION Coppice for Paper Pulp and Fibreboard 55 Conversion of Coppice to High Forest . 56 C h a pter 17. L icen sing of F elling and G eneral M a r k e t ­ C h a pte r 13. T h in n in g .... 56 in g A rrangements 79 General Considerations .... 57 L ic e n s in g ......................................................... 79 The Thinning of Mixtures . 57 General Marketing Arrangements 79 Risk of Disease..................................................58 P ric e s ................................................................. 81 W in d b lo w ..........................................................58 D r a i n a g e ..........................................................59 C hapter 18. U ses of T imber 82 Season of T h in n in g ......................................... 59 Preparatory Measures .... 59 C h a pter 19. T imber P reservation . 85 Field Procedures ......................................... 59 Timbers Used in Direct Contact with the Felling and Extraction of Thinned Ground ................................................. 85 M a t e r i a l ..................................................60 Wood Used Outdoors but not in Contact with the G round .........................................89 C h a pter 14. D iseases .... 61 Wood Used Indoors .... 89 Diseases due to Non-Living Agents . 62 Fungal and Bacterial Diseases. 62 (A) Nursery Diseases .... 63 Fungicides......................................... 62 PART IV : MISCELLANEOUS (B) Diseases of General Importance INFORMATION in the Forest .... 64 C h apter 20. T ools and E q uipm en t 90 (C) Diseases of Conifers . 64 A Forest Tool Sheet . 91 (D) Diseases of Broadleaved Trees 66 Safety Equipment . 92 D e c a y........................................ 67 First Aid Outfits . 93 C h a pte r 15. I nsect P ests . 67 Introductory................................ 67 C h apter 21. G rants and A dvice for W o od land O w ners 94 Insects Attacking Tree Seed 68 Nursery P e sts................................. 68 Addresses of the Main Offices of the Forestry Commission . 96 Insect Attacks on Young Woods . 69 Insects in Older Woods . 70 Bark Beetles and Weevils . 71 Insecticides ................................. 71 APPENDICES C h a pte r 16. F ire P ro tec t io n . 71 I. F elling L icence A p pl ic a t io n Lessening Fire Risk .... 72 F o r m ......................................................... 98 Equipment and Arrangement for Fire F ig h tin g ......................................................... 75 II. L ist of F orestry C ommission Co-operation with Outside Agencies . 77 P ublications ........................................100 vi PART I NURSERY WORK Chapter 1 ESTABLISHING A FOREST NURSERY I n this section of the Bulletin, the techniques Soil texture is one of the most important factors, currently used in Forestry Commission nurseries are because it affects all cultural operations. Well- outlined; they are not the only satisfactory tech­ drained stone-free sandy loams or loamy sands are niques but most have been found successful over a the most desirable because they are friable and can period of years under many different conditions of be worked in late autumn and early spring when soil and climate. heavier soils are unworkable. They also minimise Before describing how to raise plants, mention the risk of ‘frost-lift’ of young seedlings. The soil must be made of the factors to be considered when should have a combined silt and clay content of not deciding whether or not to have a nursery.