THE FORESTER'S HANDBOOK. H. L. Edlin. pp. 395. Illus. Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. 1953. 35s.
This comprehensive book attempts to present field forestry in a practical manner for the land owner, land agent or forester in Britain. Its purpose is to inform the public for which it is written how results of the latest scientific research can be applied to the everyday problems of selecting species for planting and finding markets for timber. Factual data is given on methods, costs and quantities which will be of help in applying much of the information on seed collection and storage, nursery work, planting operations, natural regeneration methods, tending and thinning, tree felling, measurements and value of timber, marketing procedures, protection against insects, fungi and fire, and the establishment of shelterbelts and hedgerows, as well as the handling of parks and gardens. As is usually the ease with such comprehensive works, it is difficult to choose the most useful subjects and to present practical guidance in enough detail to give maximum usefulness. The author has done this successfully on the whole, although some readers may wish to have more detailed information on their own particular problems. To assist such people there is a selected bibliography where more specific information can be obtained.
SILVICULTURAL SYSTEMS. R. S. Troup Revised by E. W. Jones. pp. 216. Illus. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1952. 25s.
Continuing demand for this work - originally published in 1928 - has fully justified this new edition now revised and brought up to date by E. W. Jones.
No classification of systems can take account of all variants. Troup's plan is as follows:
I. High forest systems - crops normally of seedling origin:A. Felling and regeneration for the time being concentrated on part of the area only - the clear-cutting, uniform group, irregular shelterwood, strip and wedge systems.B. Felling and regeneration distributed continuously over the whole area, forest uneven aged - the selection system.
C. Accessory systems - the two-storied high forest and high forest with standards.
II. Coppice systems:
A. Crop entirely of vegetative shoots - the coppice and coppice selection systems.B. Crop partly vegetative shoots and partly trees of seedling origin - the coppice with standards systems.
This rational approach avoids, on the one hand, attempts to apply a successful system slavishly to a quite different set of conditions and, on the other, leads to intelligent application where essential conditions are similar. One of Troup's prime beliefs is that European systems, modified with reason, are basically applicable in many types of forest, and examples in India and Malaya are given to support this belief.
During the past twenty years there have been major changes in appraising the advantages and disadvantages of the selection system and in weighing the merits of Dauerwald - debate continues on both. These have been judiciously incorporated by the editor, as Troup himself might have done, and the work remains essentially his.
Broadly, the move is away from more rigid forms of silviculture with uniform crops and rigid management, toward more flexible forms, and hence more irregular forms of stands. Associated with this is a growing belief in the desirability of mixed stands.
There is a growing recognition that the biology of the forest is the essential basis for silviculture that the dominance of economic considerations can lead to disaster. The irregular stand of mixed species with canopy preserved, is believed to protect the soil better and more fully exploit the site. Recognition of the importance and potential of genetics is leading to a challenge to both clear-cutting and selection systems.
There have been changes in practice as well - the introduction of broadleaved species into stands of pure conifers, the increasing use of selection and wedge systems, while progress has been made in the natural regeneration of tropical forests of several categories. Much work is under way in coppice conversion and the reclamation of scrub in Europe - both difficult and not fully solved problems. Lastly there are the changing economic conditions - better communications, shifts in market requirements (in particular, less need for fuelwood and hence for coppice).
Some day yet a further revision will be needed to catch up with advances in method, practice and opinion, but then, as now, the solid basis of Troup's original work will stand, for few works have the same quality of timelessness.
FOREST REGENERATION IN ONTARIO. (University of Toronto. Forestry Bulletin No. 2). R. C. Hosie. pp. 134. Illus. University of Toronto Press. Toronto. 1953. Can. $ 3.50.
The Research Council of Ontario has sponsored this review of forest regeneration surveys which have been made at various intervals by government and private agencies in the province of Ontario.
Part 1 of the report attempts to summarize these surveys in order to present a true picture of regeneration conditions on cut-over land. Since the surveys were done at different times by various agencies, more or less independently, the methods and procedures used were not always the same. It was therefore difficult to make comparisons of the results. However, considerable useful information has been derived, particularly with regard to the field work and the interpretation of data of such surveys. The conclusions and recommendations emphasize the need for uniform standards in such work.
BOIS DU CONGO. (Timbers of the Congo). J. Fouarge, G. Gérard, E. Sacré. pp. 424. Tables and illustrations. Institut national pour l'étude agronomique du Congo belge. Brussels. 1953. Fr. 400.
This work gives the botanical and commercial names of about 41 tropical species belonging to 18 families, their general macroscopic and microscopic description, physical, mechanical and technological properties, natural resistance against insects and fungi and uses.
The results cannot claim to represent true average values as only a few samples of each species were available However, this publication certainly gives a very useful evaluation of them and should serve as a basis for more detailed studies. The practical experience behind this publication, the microphotos as well as a comprehensive bibliography of related literature make it a valuable guide for all who have to deal with African woods.
