Selected reviews

THE PLANNING MANAGED FORESTS (BY Tar, EXPERIMENTAL METHOD AND ESPECIALLY THE, CHECK METHOD) H. E. Biolley, Translated from the French by Mark L. Anderson. pp. 72. The Scrivener Press, Ox. ford, 1954. 7s. 6d.

A third of a century has passed singe Henri Biolley, District Forester in the Swiss Val-de-Travers, wrote the French original of this account of his life work, and laid the foundation of the application of experimental volume check methods in forestry. Since its publication in 1920 it has lost nothing of its pertinence or its practical worth. Credit must there- fore be given to the translator for making it available now to English readers.

Past experience, particularly in Central European countries, has clearly shown that the establishment of pure, uniform stands with species often unsuited to the site greatly increases the risk of soil degradation and biotic diseases and, accordingly, sooner or later results in considerable increment losses. More or less uneven-aged, mixed forests of preponderantly native species, on the other hand, treated along natural lines, have proved to be healthier and more resistant to all kinds of external dangers; and in the long run such stands are more productive and easier to protect.

However, irregular stands of this type are definitely more difficult to manage: new methods and techniques had to be sought particularly for the establishment of inventories, increment control and yield regulation.

In Germany, mainly due to the influence of G. L. Hartig (1764-1837) yield regulation has, singe the beginning of the 19th century, been effected almost exclusively by allotment or formula methods based on the coon caption of the uniform normal forest and of a regular succession of cutting areas. In France, on the other hand, endeavors were made to apply another kind of forest management which aims to bring all parts of the forest to a state of highest productive capacity in perpetuity. In 1878, a French forester, A. Gurnaud (1825-1898) published a description of a méthode de contrôle for the determination of increment and yield. In this method such determinations are subordinated to the silvicultural treatment of the forests. It was based on the fact that through careful, selective harvesting, the production of the residual stand will be improved, because every removal of timber is at the same time a cultural operation. By this method the increment of stands is accurately determined periodically with the object of gradually converting the forest, through selective management and continuous experimentation, to a condition of equilibrium at maximum productive capacity.

It was Henri Biolley (1858-1939), who, for the first time, applied Gurnaud's inspired ideas m practical forestry. From 1890 on, he managed he forests of his Swiss district according to these principles, devoting himself for almost 50 years to the study of increment and a treatment of stands directed towards the highest production, and proving the practicability of the check method. In 1920, he published this study giving a theoretical basis of management of forests under the check method, describing the procedures to be applied in practice (which he partly developed and simplified), and evaluating the results.

Biolley's pioneering work formed the basis upon which most Swiss forest management practices were later developed and his ideas have been generally accepted. Today, with the trend of intensifying forest management and productivity in most countries, the ideas and application of careful, continuous treatment of stands with the aid of the volume check method are meeting with ever growing interest, so that the publication of this English version is very timely.

PULPWOOD ANNUAL, 1955. Edited by American Pulpwood Association. pp. 130. Published by Pulp and Paper, New York. U.S. $1.00.

The papers presented at the annual meeting of the American Pulpwood Association contain a great variety of interesting information much of it applicable throughout the world to pulpwood and other forestry operations. For example, the excellent discussion of the use of chain saws, with rules for safety and fire prevention, can be of benefit to any chainsaw operator, wherever he may be. The experiences of the various authors in the use of machinery in pulpwood exploitation are the subject of several articles. One author has found that, for seasonal use, rental, rather than purchase, of heavy equipment is economical and may be expected to increase in popularity. Another describes a scheme for rating the degree of mechanization of a woods operation so that meaningful comparisons between operations may be made. Weight soaring of pulpwood loads delivered to the mill is shown to be more accurate, less biased, and faster than volumetric sealing. A machine for hydraulic barking of sawmill slabs is briefly discussed as an important step towards utilization of waste wood for pulp. Tree planting machines are reported to be receiving more use, some planting as many as 400,000 trees a year. Improved handling of ohms for rail and truck shipment to pulp mills is described Among these improvements are techniques for packing ohms more tightly in the oars and devices for quick unloading.

The silvicultural side of pulpwood production is not neglected. An article on how to eliminate hardwoods considers briefly the problem of pre venting replacement of pine stands by unwanted hardwoods. A list of priorities of timber types for hardwood girdling or poisoning is given. In another article the continued in crease in the relative proportion of hardwood species to all species in the American Southeast is pointed out. To meet this situation, a pulp wood buying program is suggested that encourages cutting of hardwoods, so that woodland owners will find profitable the removal of unwanted species and retention of the more desirable softwoods.

A look into the future of the industry makes fascinating reading. Citing the findings of the Stanford Research Institute report, (America's Demand for Wood, 1929-1975, a re port sponsored by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., published in 1954) one of the articles about the next fifty years and meeting its demand emphasizes the substantial growth to be expected in U.S. demand for pulp wood. On the assumptions that over the next two decades the population of the United States will rise by 32 per cent and the total value of goods and services produced by 60 percent (in terms of constant prices), increased demand for all categories of pulp products will give rise to the need for an increase in domestic pulp production by 1975 of nearly 90 percent over the present level. This will connote United States mill requirements of nearly 49 million cords of pulpwood, as against 26.5 million in 1952. In creasing use of hardwoods and of mill residues will help to satisfy this rising demand. The broadening of the pulp industry's raw material base should ensure that pulpwood prices rise no faster than prices of competing materials or than the general level of prices. The article ends on an optimistic note about continued technological improvement in the pulp and paper industry resulting in better utilization of raw materials, improved quality of products, and low costs.

TAXATION OF THE FOREST INDUSTRIES IN ONTARIO. George C. Wilkes, pp. 102, University of Toronto Press, Toronto; 1954.

Tax laws and how they are administered are especially important to forest owners and industries where capital investments are often large as well as long-term. Property taxes and death taxes, for example, may be burdensome because they come due at times other than that at which the forest yields its income.

The author of this bulletin has made a thorough study of the tax laws affecting owners of forest land and forest industries in the Canadian province of Ontario, and, in addition, has reviewed the forest tax laws of several European countries and of the United States in order to provide comparisons useful in his Ontario analysis.

As may be expected, the present tax laws are found to be somewhat less than satisfactory for encouraging permanent forest management. Corporation income tax is criticized by many timber operators for its severe restricting effect on corporate savings which are necessary for continued development of forest resources and maintenance of working capital. Forest property is often assessed at a value which includes existing- timber values, thus increasing the tax as timber matures, and encouraging premature cutting. Taxes for forest protection sometimes tend to be excessive from the standpoint of logging operators who cite the feet that fires are mostly caused by travelers, smokers, and campers who are not loggers.

Foresters will find the discussion of stumpage appraisals very interesting. The argument is advanced that a government should be careful to avoid high stumpage charges because, as a production cost to the industry. stumpage will appear in the price of the manufactured forest products. Cheap stumpage will enable the industry to continue competing with wood substitutes. The author points out, however, that stumpage appraisals will add flexibility to the stumpage pricing system, especially if the period between reappraisals is short.

An intriguing alternative to stumpage charges is suggested. A government can raise from taxes the revenue now received from stumpage and thus separate the income and expenditure phases of forest management. The author points out that, to discourage a company from holding timberlands in excess of its needs, a fairly high ground rent can be charged by the government.

Forests are useful for other purposes besides timber production, including, for example, watershed protection, wildlife management and recreation, and it is noted that only now are these non-timber values beginning to receive adequate recognition. It is evident that a balance of monetary receipts and expenditures need not be insisted upon in forest management for multiple uses and that forests may be assets to a community without producing high stumpage or tax returns.

This little booklet is worthwhile reading for anyone concerned with public forest policy in countries where financial problems are important. The period of transition from liquidation cutting to sustained yield forestry involves present sacrificies for future benefits. The author points out that shareholder dividends may be smaller, consumer prices higher, and both stumpage and tax returns may be lower during the period in which private industry and the government expend more funds in permanent forest improvements and communities.

FORESTRY AND RELATED RESEARCH IN NORTH AMERICA. F. H. Kaufert and W. H. Cummings. pp. 280 Soc. Amer. For., Washington, D.C. 1955. $5.00.

The threefold objectives which this comprehensive re-appraisal seeks to achieve are the determination of

1. extent and adequacy of progress in research in relation to importance of forest resources;
2. status of current research governmental, institutional, industrial
3. future goals during coming 25 years, and how to achieve those goals.

The material presented is based on contributions from a large number of foresters. For the United States a critical review is given as a basis for recommendations and goals of research. Stress is laid on the need for expansion and greater financial support for research, as well as on the responsibility for, and correlation of research by various agencies personnel and their salaries, basic and group research, and dissemination of results. There is a brief summary of work in timber production or science, management and protection, in utilization; and in wildlife, range, watershed management and recreation fields. This portion of the book was prepared by a committee of the Society of American Foresters under the chairmanship of E. L. Demmon, President of the Society. Similar summaries are included for work in Canada and Mexico. The Canadian portion was prepared by a committee of the Canadian Institute of Foresters under the chairmanship of Dean J.W.B. Sisam of the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Toronto and summarized by S. T. Dana, Dean Emeritus of the School of Natural Resources of the University of Michigan. The report on Mexico was prepared by Dr. Enrique Beltran, Director, Instituto Mexicano de Recursos Naturales Renovables, and translated and edited by Dr. Tom Gill, Executive Director, Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation, Washington, D. C. The entire compilation was under the direction of Dr. Frank H. Kaufert, Director of the School of Forestry, University of Minnesota, and Professor W. H. Cummings of the School of Natural Resources University of Michigan. The work was financed by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The value of this book lies not only in the impetus which it may be expected to provide for increased interest and support for research in the three countries covered; but also in the critical analysis it provides of the status of research. It should go far in fostering greater co-ordination of research effort among existing agencies, and in awakening responsible authorities in government, in schools, and in private forest industries to the worthwhileness of providing adequately for research work, from the standpoint of economic returns.

Similar objective summaries and critical analyses of past and current forest experimental work might, with profit, be undertaken by professional forestry societies or similar groups in other regions and in individual countries.

FAO PUBLICATION S - FORESTRY DIVISION

FORESTRY AND FOREST PRODUCTS STUDIES	U.S.S	£
No. 1 - Planning a National Forest Inventory	1.00	5s.
September 1950, viii + 88 pp. (EFS)
New edition in preparation.
Prepared for the use of administrators and advisers.
No. 2 - Forest Policy, Law and Administration	2.00	10s.
December 1950, iv + 211 pp. (EFS)
A comprehensive study designed to assist countries in formulating sound forest legislation and administration.
No. 4. Grazing and Forest Economy	2.00	10s.
March 1953, v + 161 pp., illustrations. (EFS)
This study is the combined work of the Forest Policy Branch of the Forestry Division, and deals with the problems as they affect temperate, tropical and arid regions.
No. 5, Elements of Forest Fire Control	1.00	5s.
March 1953, vi + 110 pp., plates. (EFS) Fire prevention and control should be regarded as an integral part of forest management. This short study outlines the organization and administration involved in a protection program.
No. 6 - Raw Materials for More Paper: Pulping Processes and Procedures Recommended for testing	2.00	10s.
April 1953, xii + 172 pp., tables. (E)
These finding of an FAO Pulp and Paper Consultation in Rome, Italy, December 1952, form a short handbook covering pulping processes for fibrous raw materials from new sources and procedures recommended for the investigation of new rave material for paper.
No. 7 - Forestry Abstracts Coverage List	1.50	7s. 6d.
1953, vii + 180 pp. (Trilingual)
Prepared by the Commonwealth Forestry Bureau from its card index of literature forming the basis of its quarterly publication, Forestry Abstracts, this set forms a comprehensive and well-tested collection of publications carrying material -of significance to forestry.
No. 8 - National Forest Policies in Europe	3.00	15s.
August 1953, iii + 370 pp., tables. (OF) Member Governments of the FAO European Forestry Commission presented reports covering administration, improvement in quality and quantity of wood produced, utilization of forest products, timber trade, labor questions, education, research and statistics. A valuable work of reference.
No. 9 - Research in Forestry and Forest Products	3.00	15s.
September 1953, vi + 323 pp., tables. (E) This world directory of research institutions gives an outline of their objectives and summaries of their activities.
No. 10 - Directory of Forestry Schools	3.00	15s.
September 1953, vi + 290 pp. (E)
No. 11 - Eucalypts for Planting	3.50	17s. 6d.
September 1955, v + 403 pp., illustrations, bibliography (OF. Spanish in preparation)
One of the most versatile tree groups for the creation of' new forests is the genus Eucalyptus. This monograph by a recognized authority summarizes available material or botanical and silvicultural characteristics, nursery and planting methods, and technological properties and uses.

FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT PAPERS

No. 1 - Du choix de tracteurs pour le débardage	2.00	10s.
March 1954, x + 190 pp., illustrations, tables (F. English edition in preparation)
No. 2 - World Festival of Trees	0.75	3s. 9d.
July 1954, vi + 74 pp., (EFS)
No. 3 - Forest Plantation Protection against Diseases and Insect Pests	0.50	2s. 6d.
June 1954, v + 41 pp., (EFS)
No. 4. Handling Forest Tree Seed	1.00	5s.
March 1955, ix + 110 pp., (E. Spanish edition in preparation)
No. 5 - Tree Seed Notes	3.50	17s. 6d.
I. Arid Areas
II. Humid Tropics
March 1955, iii + 354 pp., (E. Spanish edition in preparation)
No. 6 - Tree Planting Practices for Arid Areas	1.50	7s. 6d.
Larch 1955, vi + 126 pp., illustrations (E. Spanish editions in preparation)
No. 7 - Third Conference on Wood Technology 17-26 May 1954	2.00	10s.
February 1955, xvi + 204 pp., illustrations (Trilingual)

Directory of Wheel and Track-Type Tractors Produced throughout the World	3.00	15s.
1955, iv + 371 pp., mimeographed (Trilingual)
Timber Bulletin for Europe
Quarterly Bulletin. (Bilingual - E, F) Single copy	0.50	3s. 9d.
Annual Subscription (post paíd)	2.00	15s. 0d.
Prepared jointly by the UN Economic Commission for Europe and FAO, it contains statistical data on various forest products for European countries and also Canada and the United States: also reviews the European softwood situation and timber market.
World Forest Resources	2.50	12s. 6d.
Results of the inventory undertaken in 1953 by the Forestry Division of FAO.
March 1955, vi + 120 pp., graphs and tables (Trilingual)