Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. i = i ¥ 395 t OF AGRICULTURE ica Forestr ous Publ 0 tM Sa) ty hee isce M oa a hal Ee S) m= & re fs El foot Forestry for 4-H Clubs By Wilbur R. Mattoon, senzor forester, Forest Service and Erwin H. Shinn, senior agriculturist, Extension Service CONTENTS Page Forestry and farming.......... SRn east SEG te So IO ae ene 1 Sourcestotnrormacomes ye ois ces ee oe, ce so a a ee 1 Piltistrativiesmiatental teers cate ort ces Gas cis a ee ae eS ee Te 3 @ominrunity, SULV Cyc. ce het Sleiman s ee nie aS Ss we ee eS sete Sie ae els 3 dies projec eer: ee eae soe cele Es piss Sa See ea Se 3 Borest trees angi tOLest Gy Pesce je. a ee ee ee 5 Growthwotstreesvandorests cee en a Pe 9 Rorestine produ CHON ame -atncre ae 5 os hc os Scene Seta panos aise y es Sai ean Se 11 Hones tsplantinpeec-ter a yo sees actor ities hc aa SOK eae one eres Sea 15 Improving woodlands by CULtING “lees 252. seis ose Se ie see wees er de Meee es oe ity Protecting woodlands............... YM ieer les SSI Oat este NE EEC CEN GO EEE Se Le OO 19 Rrotectivic ctrectsiofwoOGlanden a: 21 Sse ee oo cs css at ee se ee SS ee 21 Wocationcand-extent of tanm-woodlands: = 227 sc... cs ks as Noa rs Se 24 Productssrom:the nome woodland sssc. 4.6. ce heen ck ce Fes es ee a 25 Measurinavand estimating: timben..1aecc2 26 5 as ate ov c/o 6 os nis 8 we Sus hese ieee Sg ees «ales 28 Rising stat ris tii Dele rae tases = Seo acne ¢ cisoteaursn) wise ce acs che Soo tions skelsvace ilelle Selsm ute ea 31 Marketinestorcestsproductsr far = Gas se es eng ees ee ee ce ene ce 33 SUrp plore tees seas crs rete on sage ers Se a ne ees suede das Osa Ae an Oe wenn see 35 Issued January 1941 Slightly Revised May 1950 Miscellaneous Publication No. 395 United States Government Printing Office Washington: 1941 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.................. Price 20 cents III This publication furnishes information that should be useful to 4-H Club leaders and members and other young people. It is intended to supplement subject-matter material published by the various States and other agencies. The text emphasizes getting acquainted with forest trees and forest stands and learn- ing their different values to their owners and their place in the economy of the farm and the community. Practical phases of managing the farm home wood- lands properly are also given important consideration. The topic outlines should serve as a guide and an aid in working out club projects, programs, and demon- strations that will have real educational value and also prove financially profit- able to many young people on farms. This publication supersedes U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 863, Forestry Lessons on Home Woodlands. On TitLe Pace S-14757C. Top.—4-H Club boys in Connecticut planting young pines on worn-out and idle land. S-12869C. Center.-4-—H Club boy thinning and pruning young trees to develop clear and more valuable lumber (New Hampshire). S-17834C. Bottom.—4-H Club members preparing wood specimens for exhibit. Forestry and Farming Much attention is being given to forest trees and woodlands in planning for the best use of all farm lands. On many farms timber and other forest products are an important income crop. The uses and commercial value of different kinds of trees, the management of a tract of woods, and the action of trees in checking soil erosion and modifying climate should be common knowledge. If the subject of forestry is properly understood, the interest of rural young people and their parents can be aroused in the farm woodlands which in the aggregate constitute a considerable part of our forests. Much can be accomplished in getting the general public to recognize the importance and value of farm woodlands through 4-H Club work. Forestry has a definite and valuable relation to farming (fig. 1). Timber is required on the farm for building and repairing, as well as wood for fuel. Trees are needed on farms to protect the soil against erosion, to shelter livestock and crops against dry winds of summer and cold winds of winter, to beautify the farmstead, to furnish homes for game animals and birds, and in gen- eral to contribute to man’s comfort. A knowledge of farm forestry, applied along simple lines, should make farming more profitable. The outlines (pp. 5 to 34) are designed to furnish 4-H Club members and other rural young people with a guide for study of some of the funda- mental facts concerning farm-forest lands. They present the subject of farm forestry with respect to the important local forest trees and their uses, the proper location of woodlands on the farm and their economic value to the farm, protect- ing and improving woodlands, planting young trees, the different farm-timber products, measuring and marketing timber, and utilizing timber rightly on the farm. Sources of Information The best use can be made of a publication of this kind only when accurate references are available. Almost every State agricultural college has one or more bulletins on some phase of forestry, and, when available, they may be obtained by writing to the county extension agent or the dean of the agricultural college. Farmers’ bulletins and other publications of the United States Department of Agriculture to which reference is made in this publication cover many of the topics to be studied. As long as the supply lasts Farmers’ Bulletins will be sent free to any resident of the United States. Application should be made to the Chief of Publications, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., or to your Senator, Representative, or Delegate in Congress. Because of the limited supply, appli- cants should select only those publications which are of special interest and order but one copy of each. When the free supply is exhausted, these bulletins may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., usually at the price of 5 cents. Other publications of this department are also for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, but they are more often technical bulletins which may be of interest only to those who wish to specialize in the subject. Publications on various phases of forestry may be obtained directly from the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Textbooks on forestry may be procured from book companies, or consulted in some libraries. 1 2 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE Lomas cpt icat arse taba S ~s ne oe vt F -267353 Ficure 1.—A 4-H Club boy in pines on his project acre. Young stands should be properly thinned. FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS 3° [llustrative Material The proper use of illustrative material will arouse interest in the subject being discussed and greatly aid in presenting the information. A good collection ot illustrative material should be provided and kept available for use. Illustrations can sometimes be obtained from bulletins, books, and other publications. Pic- tures that show the relation in size of crown and trunk of a typical tree growing in the open and a tree growing in a close stand illustrate important facts. Drawings of the cross section of a tree trunk showing how the tree increases in size by a new ring of growth each year stimulate interest. Four-H Club members may collect leaf specimens of trees of the district and mount them on cardboard after pressing and drying the leaves. Samples of different kinds of wood obtained locally from trees of uniform size may be mounted on boards or in frames or racks. The various specimens of woods may be classified and mounted by groups, such as hardwoods, softwoods, or oaks, maples, and pines. Charts showing the rela- tive importance and uses of the most abundant woods should be made. Lantern slides showing important facts about forestry should be used in con- nection with certain topics. The Extension Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., has available slide sets and film strips per- taining to forestry. Community Survey The best way to judge the interest of the local people in forestry is through a community survey in which 4-H Club members may assist in assembling impor- tant information about woodlands and forests in the locality. This first-hand knowledge of the community’s interest should be valuable in the local study of farm woodlands. The survey should be educational and planned to determine the kind of woodland, whether hardwood, conifer, or mixed type, and the impor- tant species of trees in the forest or woodlands. It is important to make records of their abundance, their use and commercial value, the leading rough timber products that have been sold, and the prices received. On a map of the township, perhaps one drawn by the 4-H Club members, the homes and farms of the different families should be indicated. The acreage of each farm, the number and location of the buildings, and a sketch of the wood- lands should be included. The Project The project method of study has gained wide recognition in recent years. There can be no doubt that the intelligent use of the project aids in motivation. An ad- vantage claimed for the project method is that it gives a better understanding of subject matter and develops a better plan of reasoning. It is generally agreed that instruction in agriculture should follow certain definite lines: (1) It should be seasonal. (2) It should be local in its interests and development. (3) It should meet the interest of the young people. (4) It should be practical. The project plan affords the best means of meeting these conditious, especially the practical. Through the 4-H Forestry or some other project the club member works out for himself the principles and theories he has been taught. The term “project” has been generally applied to instruction in agriculture below the college level. It includes each of the following requisites: (1) A plan for work at home covering a season more or less extended. (2) A problem more or less 4 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE new to the individual. (3) Agreement by the parents and club member to the plan. (4) A competent leader to supervise the work. (5) Detailed records of time, method, cost, and income honestly kept. (6) A written report based on the record to be submitted to the leader when the project is completed. The final F-370125 Ficure 2.—White oak leaf, flower, fruit, and winter bud: a, Pistillate or female flower; 4, staminate or male flower; c, winter bud. report may be in the form of a booklet. The term project or demonstration is also used extensively in 4-H Club work. Type of forestry project.—A project in forestry must, of necessity, be different from one in farm crops or animal production. The slow growth of forest trees, FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS 5 covering more than one season, and other factors involved make it so. However, forest projects for a short period can be conducted and made of much value to the 4-H Club members and the community. Among the forestry projects that can be carried out, the following are suggested: (1) The renovation of a farm woodland, (2) replanting of a woodland and subsequent care of the young trees, (3) planting of forest trees on eroding lands or other waste ground on the farm, (4) mapping and finding the area of a forest tract, (5) cutting and marketing farm forest products, (6) giving especial attention to proper cutting of trees and to removal of the parts of the trees not marketed, and (7) a study and survey of forest fires, insect enemies, and the diseases of the common forest trees. The suggestions which follow will be helpful in developing such projects or others which the local situation may offer. Forest Trees and Forest Llypes Aim.—To learn how to recognize at sight the chief forest trees of the locality. Sources of information.—Bulletins of the State departments of forestry and State colleges of agriculture on forest trees. Your State forester and the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., are ready to identify leaves, fruit, buds, and woods that are puzzling. IMustrative material.—The best illustrative material on forest trees and types is to be found in the woods, where the different species may be seen and their char- acteristics studied. If it is impossible to go to the woods for material, pictures of typical trees may be used. Sketches showing the forms of different trees are easily made and should be used. Guides to study.—Get acquainted with the important kinds of forest trees in your locality. Learn their various common names and other names. A few trees are known widely by the same common name, but many are called by differ- ent names in various sections of the country. Consider the importance of botanical names for certain identification. Distinguish the different kinds or species of trees by some well-marked characteristics of leaf, bark, fruit, seed, buds, or twig arrangement. Conifers: These include trees bearing cones, such as the. pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, cedars, junipers, larches, and cypress. How do baldcypress and the larches differ from the others? Become familiar with distinguishing characteris- tics of each group or genus, and learn something about its different members or species, particularly those that occur locally. Hardwoods: These include trees most of which have wood harder than the wood of the conifers and broad leaves that are usually deciduous, or are shed in the fall. Learn the kinds of hardwood trees which are evergreen. Classify the hardwood trees by general groups, such as the oaks, maples, elms, and others, and identify as many different species of each as possible. Study kinds of trees which are associated in different forest types, such as the ridge type, slope or cove type, bottomland type, and swamp type. Observe locally the trees that are associated to make (1) coniferous forest type, (2) pure hardwood type, and (3) mixed hardwood and conifer type. Practical things to do.—Gather leaves and fruit of the important local forest trees, press in wrapping paper, fold and label with place and date (fig. 2). Study the shape and size of leaves; trace a leaf of each of the important kinds of trees, and label with name, place where found, and date. 892077 O - 50-2 6 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE IN. Sycamore FIER ORK > L£//77 F-370126 Ficure 3.—Leaf outlines of a few important species or kinds of hardwood trees. (Reduced and not to uniform scale.) Group trees by kinds of fruit borne—nuts, keys, berries, cones, etc. Collect samples of winter buds from important local species, labeling with name of tree, place of collection, and date. FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS aes Make a study of winter buds, with drawings of buds and the twig arrange- ments. Collect blossoms from red and silver maples, willows, catalpa, American elm, oak, flowering dogwood, yellowpoplar or tuliptree, American basswood or linden, buckeye, and magnolia. Field study.1.—Now to the woods, that you may come into personal touch with the forest trees of your own neighborhood. Leaves: The leaf is the trade-mark of the trees. Gather the leaves, study and compare them to gain a first-hand knowledge of the trees as individuals, then as groups. The yellowpoplar writes its name plainly upon its square-cut leaf, but the boxelder has a leaf somewhat resembling that of the ash, though its seed is similar to the maple key (fig. 3). Wherein does the ash leaf differ from that of the locust or the hickory? The oaks are divided into the red and the white oaks. What is a typical leaf of each class? You will probably begin this study in the autumn, so before the leaves fall and your memory of them fails, press sample leaves and either mount them or place them in paper folders, and label with name, place where found, and date (fig. 4). Tf the foliage of the black tupelo is reddening, that of the sweetgum will soon begin to change, and presently all the woods will be brilliantly colored. The autumn colors will help to identify your trees and beautify your herbarium. A few of the broadleaf trees and all the conifers except the larches and baldcypress are evergreen. Separate the conifers into the pines, spruces, cedars, or other cone bearers of your woods, and divide into as may species as you find. Make a table, and under the two heads—broadleaf trees and conifers—group the trees that you identify, with a short description of each. Fruit: While gathering leaves, bring in any fruit or seed found—the pulpy fruit, nuts, berries, pods, winged seed, and tufted seed of the broadleaf trees and the cones of the conifers, and add to your herbarium. Buds: As the leaves fall, gather the bare branches and study the winter buds that hold next year’s leaves and flowers, from the big bud that tips the horse- chestnut to the long, sharp bud of the beech. Label them as you did the leaves. Bark: The American sycamore or plane tree bark tells its own story, but do you know the bark of the elm from that of the ash? Contrast the glove-fitting bark of the American beech with the rough-and-ready coat of the shagbark hickory, and note the difference in barks of other kinds of trees. Branches: Each tree has its own way of branching, though its form is not always so definite as the red cedar spire. What is typical of the white oak bough? The leaves of the scarlet and pin oak are considerably alike, but what is the character of each tree? Draw a leafless elm. Flowers: When spring comes and the buds are bursting, do not forget the flowers of the forest trees. They provide a “clock dial’ for the advancing year. As they bloom in succession, bring in the blossoms of the willow, the maple, the American elm, and the eastern cottonwood, until you have gathered the last flower of June and seed are on the wing. While you are getting acquainted with your trees, you will learn that they prefer certain localities; you will find the willow by the stream, the yellowpoplar or tulip- tree in the valley, the red oak on the higher ground, for one needs much moisture in its soil while another will grow in a drier situation. You will discover that cer- tain trees ““hobnob”’ together because of similar requirements of soil, mositure, and light. In this way you will learn to group your trees into forest types when you begin your practical work as the forester of your home woodland. 1 The sections on field study in the sections on Forest Trees and Forest Types and Protective Effects of Woods were contributed by Miss Lucy Kellerhouse, formerly of the U. S. Forest Service. MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE S-17835-C S-14758-C Ficure 4.—A, Forestry club members mounting specimens of leaves of forest trees. B, Collection of wood specimens made by a New England 4-H Club boy. Sketch the different types of trees in the district; make drawings or tracings of the different shaped leaves. Mount these drawings and file with other illustrative material. FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS 9 Growth of Trees and Forests Aim.—To find out how trees and forests grow. Sources of information.—Farmers’ Bulletins 1256, 1486, 1517, 1671, and 1989; Miscellaneous Publication 162. Illustrative material—Fotted seedlings, pots or boxes, and seeds of trees. A chart showing roots, stems, and leaves of a tree. A chart, or better an actual cross section of a tree stem, showing different parts such as annual rings, heart- wood, sapwood, bark, and cambium (fig. 5). Leaves mounted so that their structure can be studied. Branches showing bud and twig arrangement. Draw- ings showing shapes of crowns or tops of trees grown in the open and of those grown in close stands. —— ‘\ : || Uf \\ NY Th MMM YY SNS \\\\ al | > ah A = LAE — Ze — =: —~ SS = lj ll y iN \ | | i \ ——— SSS S222 SSS SS se SS SSS i Wi) \\ \ \ “\ , \ ; \\ WW CAN ] MN) (\ ( y ar Uy D Wy e d F-370129 Ficure 5.—How the tree trunk grows. All growth takes place in the cambium (a), lying between the inner bark and sapwood. This is a very thin layer of living ceiis, which divide and subdivide, forming on the outside bark and on the inside wood. The inner bark (4), or last tissue, is soft and moist. Its function is to carry the food prepared in the leaves to all growing parts of the tree. By a gradual change the inner bark passes into outer bark (c), a corky layer composed of dry, dead cells. This serves to protect the living stem against evaporation and mechanical injury. The woody growth during one season is called an annual ring. In the spring the newly formed cells are thin-walled and spongy, while in midsummer and fall the walls of the cells become thicker and denser. This difference can be distinguished in many kinds of trees as light-colored spring wood and darker colored summer wood. Sapwood (d) is the lighter colored band of wood beneath the bark, often from 1 to 2 inches thick. It carries the sap from the roots to the leaves. Heartwood (e) is the result of a gradual change in the sapwood by which it becomes darker, heavier, and often more lasting. Most of the trees, but not all, form heartwood. Pith (f) is the soft tissue on the innermost part of the stem, about which the first woody growth takes place in the newly formed twig. From it extend the pith rays (g). These are flat vertical bands of tissue which connect the pith with the various layers of wood and the inner bark. They transfer and store up food. 10 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE F-47755 S-7520-C Ficure 6.—Ad, Trees which grow in close stands form clear trunks that make the best grades of products. This tree was left in clearing the land. B, By counting the annual rings of growth the age of a tree can be determined. The number of years it took the seedling to reach the point of the count should be added. FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS 11 Guides to study —The life of a tree and why it is necessary to know something about how trees live. The leaves, trunk, and roots, and function of each in the tree’s existence. How the tree breathes and gets its food from the soil and air; what travels upward and what downward in the branches and stems. Structure of the leaf and different parts of the trunk. How the branches lengthen and the tree trunk increases in diameter; the location, color, and structure of the living tissue or cambium layer. What are annual rings, heartwood, and sapwood? Requirements for growth: Air, light, moisture, heat, and food. How to find the age of trees by counting the annual rings (fig. 6). Trees in association—a stand. Influence of trees upon each other. Difference, if any, between shape of crowns of open-grown trees and those grown in closed stands. Influence of different light and soil-moisture supply. Effect of tree density (number of trees in a given area) upon growth of the individual tree. Natural death of trees in closed stands with advancing age. Understocked, well-stocked, and overstocked stands and the production of (a) saw timber and (b) cordwood per acre under each condition. Practical things to do.—Make the following tests to show requirements for growth: Place a potted forest-tree seedling in the dark for a few days; withdraw moisture from one and supply moderate amounts of moisture and excess moisture to other seedlings; subject plants, if possible, to different degrees of heat. Note results. Erect a pole or |- by 2-inch timber strip close beside a young, thrifty sapling pine or hardwood. At regular intervals of a week or month, mark on it the total height of the growing tree. Keep a record also of the dates and measured heights. Forest R eproauction Aim.—To find out how trees reproduce themselves. Sources of information.—Farmers’ Bulletin 1989; Miscellaneous Publication 162. IMustrative material—Make a collection of seed specimens of the kinds indi- cated under Guides to Study. Mount these seeds on cardboard or put them in wide-mouthed bottles. Clip pictures of young forest growth. Guides to study.—Seeds: Learn the various devices of nature for dispersing the seed widely. Tree fruits (a) with wings, plumes, etc.; (b) pulpy fruits with hard seeds sought by birds; (c) rich nut kernels liked by rodents and birds, and often buried or otherwise stored away; (d) light seeds which float on the surface or heavy seeds which roll along the bottom of streams. Species of trees whose seeds are carried by (a) wind (fig. 7), (b) water, or (c) birds and animals (fig. 8). Sprouts: Different species of trees which reproduce themselves by means of sprouts from stumps. From what part or parts of the stump do sprouts arise? Species which sprout from surface or lateral roots. Influence of the season of the year when cutting is done upon the vigor and growth of sprouts. Influence of age of parent tree upon success of sprounting. Natural forest reproduction: Young growth (figs. 9 and 10). Conditions under which young growth starts in woodlands. A forest without young growth is like a community without children—it will die out. Need for large numbers of young trees for perpetuation of the forest. Competition and shading out of the weaker seedlings and saplings. Age groups of young growth: (a) Seedling, (4) small sapling, (c) large sapling, (dz) small pole. 12 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE Coxsfovr7wood . 2-7 WY xt ailuny; iy Syce F-370131 Ficure 7.—How the forest travels: By wind. FORESTRY FOR 4-H CLUBS 13 BY ANIMALS Hickory Wasnusy BUTC/TIUS Oa’ Horey/0CUusT FCS S1TITIOLT BCCC/7 \ WY, SS BY BIRDS FICACCHQAl” CHEST Yy BY WATER Pe Fo Say he an = i% = GA os ‘ k Cypress 7pe/O GUT Ororwood W//OWS Males CIC =e Bx" 3] ai! Waren) Lo PAY aie CTE 74 FE i We 4 ue PRL AS Sal : | : : G Nee ail j aN . 5 <# ea are = ae \\ 2 tr Fae a : 0S ee eS fie — Riper 7 — ke Eee See ay) exe te 5 es (ile QE Hegre : __ Nee oa) é 130@8 F-370130 Ficure 8.—How the forest travels: By animals; by birds; by water. 892077 O- 50-3 14. + £4MiISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE | ; 351699 353413 Ficure 10.—When protected from fire and cut rightly, as here, southern pines reproduce themselves freely in openings with plenty of overhead light. FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS 15 Forest Planting Aim.—To learn how to reforest land by direct seeding or planting seedlings. Sources of information —FKarmers’ Bulletins 1123, 1256, 1405, 1486, 1517, 1671, 1813, 1989, and 1994; Leaflet 159. Illustrative material—Obtain pictures showing different methods of planting seedlings in a farm forest or woodland; also pictures of important local trees and specimens of leaves; also fruit and bark, and keep available for study. Guides to study.—How to start a young forest by direct seeding or by trans- planting nursery-grown seedlings. Best results to be expected from seed collected locally. Sowing the seed in the place where the trees are wanted. Kinds of trees started this way; usually the species difficult to transplant on account of large, deep taproots, such as hickories, walnuts, some of the oaks, and some pines. Collecting the seed. Storing the seed over winter. Sections of the country (North) where seed sowing is best done in the spring and (South) where it may be done in the fall or early winter. Preparation of the soil and method of planting seed of different kinds. Care of growing seedlings. F-338850 Ficure 11.—4-H Club boys in Mississippi planting black locust seedlings on farm to grow a supply of durable fence posts. Planting seedlings grown in nursery beds. Preparation of nursery beds and sowing of seeds. Kinds of trees commonly raised in nursery beds. Age of seed- lings fit for planting. Need for transplanting seedlings in hursery prior to planting out in the woods or fields. Season of year for successful planting and method of planting. Injury or loss and how to avoid them. Regions where forest plantations are needed and commonly started. Purposes for which plantations are set out. Kinds of trees profitable in plantations. Pure and mixed plantations, and advantages of each. Planting steep slopes and eroding soils with forest trees to check soil wastage and land destruction. Kinds of trees suitable for taking hold quickly and multi- plying on dry banks. 16 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE dN tia eet nd Ss AO UEERD ft dee! ee ll Re FRO” stig Oh etd edmond i i] F-356747 F-33010 Ficure 12.—4, 4-H Club boy in southern Georgia and his trip-winning forest planting acre. B, An 8-year-old planted stand of pines in southern Georgia; trees 18 to 25 feet in height and growing | now at the rate of nearly 2 cords per acre yearly. Filling up large openings in the woods and improving existing woodlands by | planting desirable species of trees. Utilizing poor soils and so-called waste places about the farm by planting quick-growing, useful kinds of trees—black locust for fence posts, pine and other species for use as treated fence posts (fig. 11). FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS AZ Trees about the farm and farmstead for shade, nut production, and ornamental purposes. Practical things to do—Visit if possible a nearby section where forest trees are being planted. Talk with local farmers or foresters about the best methods to use in caring for young forests. Study the habits of growth of young trees of the community (fig. 12 4 and B). Make a list of the kinds of forest trees observed on the field trip, and classify the trees in order of their commercial importance. Learn to identify different local trees. Improving W. oodlands by Cutting Trees Aim.—To find out how to improve woodlands by cutting. Sources of information.—Karmers’ Bulletins 1256, 1486, 1517, 1671, and 1989; State foresters’ publications. Illustrative material—Charts or illustrations showing results of overcrowding and of proper thinning of forest trees. Pictures showing results of careless felling of trees. If possible, visit a forest where these results can be actually shown by S-13543-C Ficure 13.—Improving growth and value of young forests: 4-H Club boys thinning out the defective or crooked trees in an improvement cutting. (Florida.) observing rings on stumps or cutting into trees that have been thinned several years previously. In an even-aged group, note different sizes of trees of the same age as a result of differences in growing space. Guides to study—How to cut the individual tree properly; why as little as possible of the tree’s stump should be left in the woods; careful felling of trees. What is likely to happen to trees injured by falling of others. 18 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE \ a t ae ~~ : | ad An. eo wee Be F By Pdr Av FS a Sugar Maple ) TITTIT Maples Oak Beech Elm | ame oe ase ew ew ew aoe aco ame —_ — |= oe ce eee ae ae coe oe oo b= ft F-370127 Ficure 14.—The growth and value of timber stands are increased by repeated thinning. The trees removed can generally be used or sold profitably for firewood, treated fence posts, or small timber: A, Before thinning pines. Fifteen overcrowded trees. B, Trees to be cut in thinning a stand of northern hardwoods (shaded trees to be cut). FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS 19 Advantages of thinning overcrowded stands of forest trees. How fewer and fewer trees can grow on an acre as the trees increase in size. Available light supply for growth. Purpose of thinning to utilize timber that would otherwise die and go to waste. Also to stimulate the remaining trees to increased growth, which means increased value. How and why prune trees; advantages in doing so. Improvement of the woods by proper cutting, taking out (1) the mature trees, (2) broken, crooked, diseased trees, and (3) the slow growing and less valuable species (figs. 13 and 14). Most woodlands have many such trees crowding out the young, promising trees of the better kinds. Making woodlands yield a profit on the investment and increasing farm income and the selling value of the farm. Practical things to do.—The facts brought out in this study should be verified by actual observation in trips to forests. Study first-hand the results of cutting practices. Locate a good project that shows the improvement of a forest plot by proper thinning, including the removal of diseased, defective, overcrowded, and dead trees, and undesirable species. The group may construct the charts mentioned under Illustrative material. Make drawings of trees showing development under adverse conditions and of others under proper conditions. Make a survey and write a report on the general practice of home forest im- provement in the district. Make a district or county map locating the farm forest areas and designating those under improvement. Draw an outline map of the State locating the farm- forest ares. Protecting Woodlands Aim.—To learn how to determine causes and extent of injury to trees and methods of prevention. Sources of information.—Farmers’ Bulletins 1643, 1887, 1896, and 1989; State publications. The United States Department of Agriculture and the State agricultural colleges will be glad to give assistance by identifying and furnishing information concerning various forest insects. Illustrative material—Pictures of forest fires, burnt-over woodlands, forest rangers and their camps and equipment will make excellent illustrative material. Pictures of trees damaged by grazing, insects or fungi, samples of damaged wood, and samples of insecticides and materials used to prevent insects from damaging trees should also be used. Guides to study —Fire, the arch enemy of the forest: It kills large numbers of the smaller trees and kills or weakens the vitality of the older trees; the humus layers over the ground are destroyed. The homes of animals and other wildlife are often ruined and their food destroyed. The loss of the protective covering exerts a marked effect in causing the soil to dry out and become hard, as a result of which the rain is shed rapidly following dry weather, much as when it falls on a house roof. Trees in farm woodlands and city parks are often seen dying at the tops from this cause. Forest rangers employed by the State and Federal Governments for the adminis- tration and protection of the State and national forests. Private timberland owners protecting their lands in cooperative effort with the State and Federal Governments. What type of men are required for forest rangers, whose duties require them to live out of doors and ride or work in all kinds of weather? Each national forest divided into districts in charge of rangers. Fire-protection plans 20 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE TRATIOn | peor OND “MELAGLER COUNTY] SO 237474 S-13544-C Ficure 15.—It is good forest practice to keep livestock out of the woods (except in parts of the South) and to prevent fires. Trees, like other crops, require protection. 4, grazed woodlot contrasted with an untrampled and unbrowsed thrifty farm woods. 8B, 4-H Club boys establishing a firebreak on a club project. worked out in great detail for preventing, detecting, and fighting fires as soon as possible after they start. Fire-fighting equipment, such as lookout towers, telephone lines, and fire-fighting tool boxes at convenient points over the forest. Cleared and burned lines as firebreaks (fig. 15). Use of airplanes and radio. Protection for State forest lands by similarly organized methods. Federal cooperation with the various States, authorized by the Weeks Law, for the protec- tion of headwaters of navigable streams against fire. ——— FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS OHA The grazing of livestock: This practice has much the same effect in removing the protective covering and packing the ground hard as fire has. Cattle and horses browse off the tender young seedlings and tramp down the upper soil layers (fig. 15). Sheep and goats, particularly when closely herded, are very destructive to young seedlings. Hogs feed upon most kind of acorns and nuts, aithough by rooting up the leaf litter they sometimes favorably expose the mineral soil for the quick germination of tree seeds. Hogs are very destructive to the seed or mast of the longleaf pine, and the young seedlings are killed in large numbers by animals stripping off the thick, sweet, spongy bark from the roots. Damage by insects: Leaf and inner bark-eating, twig cutting, bark- and wood- boring insects. Methods of checking spread of insect infestation by right methods of cutting. Fungi in forest trees as a source of the injury and death of many trees: Some trees less subject to attack than others. Importance of keeping woods in a heaithy growing condition and rightly cut in order to combat the spread of fungous diseases. Practical things to do—Make a trip through the district to see what damages occur in farm woodlands and what forest protection is practiced. Look for any disease or insect which is attacking any special group of trees. Find out by observation if farm woodlands are being grazed and make a note of any damage that is being done by livestock. Protective Effects of Woodland 4Aim.—To find out how the forest or woods conserve soil moisture, check soil erosion, and modify temperature. . Sources of information.—Farmers’ Bulletins 1405, 1767, and 1813; Miscellane- ous Publications 162 and 600. Illustrative material—The best illustrative material will be found in a trip to the woods and fields. Actual examples of the effect of the trees or woods can be pointed out. Ifa field trip is not practicable, illustrations may be clipped from papers and magazines showing erosion on unprotected hillsides and the use of trees as shelters in pastures and about farm buildings. Guides to study With an acquaintance formed with the different species of trees, it will be worth while to learn their value both individually and when associated in woodlands. Timber or wood products: Trees grouped according to their value for wood or timber. (This is expanded in Products from the Home Woodlands, p. 25). How a forest cover conserves the water from rainfall or melting snow (fig. 16). Flow of streams from open and from forested land; seepage and springs. Pro- tecting watersheds of city reservoirs and headwaters of large streams from erosion and floods. State and municipal forests. The 176,000,000 acres of Government national forests held for protection of watersheds and streams and for a permanent timber supply. Private owners hold four-fifths of the total standing timber in the United States. How trees protect the soil against erosion and the formation of gullies on steep slopes (fig. 17). Examples of local hillsides and regions of the United States Woods as shelter against hot and dry or cold winds, for grain and fruit crops, livestock, and for protecting the farm home. The difference in temperature of the air in midsummer out in the open road or field and in the shade of a single tree or of woods. The difference in the same situations on a cold windy day in winter. Field study.—In an excursion to the hills and the fields boys and girls can learn, by actual observation, the bond between the forest and the river. 892077 O- 50-4, 22 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE Upon leaving the open and entering the cool shade of the woods they will note the forest floor—the undergrowth of young trees and shrubs, the ferns and moss, and the litter of fallen leaves. Witha jackknife, or a trowel, they can dig beneath. this cover into the mold of many years’ fallen leaves. The sollwill be spongy and moist. What happens when rain falls or snow melts? Under the forest canopy it sinks into the spongy earth (fig. 16). What becomes of the rain and snow that the forest has soaked up like a sponge? Find a spring. This is where the stored water is seeping out to feed the streams. The rainfall that has been held back in the hidden reservcir of the forest is here transformed into a steady supply of water for the pasture, the farm, the mill, and the city. F-34411 Figure 16.—The forest floor: Dense growth of seedling and sapling trees covering and protecting the soil; leaves and twig litter on the ground beneath the trees; spongy layer of decomposed vegetable matter or humus, and the lower layer of soil interlaced with tree roots and rootlets; and the clay subsoil. Return to the open and dig into the soil on the unwooded slope. It will be found dry and hard. What happens when the rain falls or the snow melts on the open hillside? It is not held back and absorbed but rushes down the slope. In a heavy rain the streams rise rapidly. Perhaps the group will find a place where a bridge has been carried away ina freshet. Someone may tell of the destruction of a log bridge on the farm. What happens when the winter snow melts upon the unprotected mountain slopes and the spring rains swell the rivers? (Figs. 17 and 18.) On the open hillside, places will be found where the soil, which has no roots to bind it, has been washed away by the rain, and on some steep slope there will be deep gullies dug into the ground. Where does the soil go that is washed down the slope? Into the stream. Perhaps the stream carries the silt into the water supply ofacity. If there is a river near, a sand bar may be found that has resulted from eo ~ Saale FORESTRY FOR 4—H CLUBS Ficure 17.Effect of deforestation: Washing of soil and devastation heads of streams. Ficure 18.—Effect of deforestation: Sand bars in the stream channels. yearly in dredging our rivers to keep them nav F-12234 of valuable farm lands at the Millions of dollars are spent igable. 24 MISC. PUBLICATION 395, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE sediment washed down from the hill country. What do muddy rivers mean to harbors near the coast? Who has seen the dredge at work scooping up the silt to keep the channel free? This means a vast expense to the country (fig. 16). The boy or girl who has noted these facts about woodland, soil, and stream will begin to see the relation which the forests of the country bear to the land. The examples of soil protection and clear streams, of erosion and flood damage that he or she finds in his own neighborhood, are intimations of the larger meaning of the Nation’s forests to farm land and industry and commerce. The home woodland is a part of Nature’s plan to aid man and his enterprise. Location and Extent of Farm Woodlands Aim.—To learn how to determine the location and area of land on the farm on which trees should be grown as a crop. Sources of information.—Farmers’ Bulletins 1117 and 1940; Leaflet 29. Guides to study—Timber is a poor-land crop. Observe places about the farm which should be kept in forest trees and woods. Places where forest trees are profitable: (1) Poor soils. (2) Steep slopes. (3) Eroding soils. (4) Rocky land. (5) Wet land. (8) Unused corners or waste places. 19) Q Q 1) ie) 9 7) 12 g 9 g i> Cultivated os : fa) 6) ic) 8 6 @ a & 2) G B 0 F-370128 Ficure 19.—Rough, steep, and poor lands, and inaccessible parts of the farm may be used to increase farm income by growing trees in permanent woodlands. Extent of woodlands in the locality: Proportion of cropland and woodland. The total acres of woods on 10 to 20 representative farms in a locality. Practical things to do.—Krom the data gathered in the survey construct a chart showing the proportion of cropland and woodland, the total crop acreage, and the FORESTRY FOR 4-H CLUBS 25 total woodland acreage. Study the places where trees are growing and list such locations. List the kinds of trees commonly growing in each of these localities. Note farms that could profitably plant forest trees, and the kinds of trees that should be planted. Draw a map of a farm or of the school district, locating the poor soils, steep slopes, eroding soils, rocky land, wet land, unused corners or wasteland, and mark on this map the names of the trees that grow on these places or that could be profitably grown thereon (fig. 19). Write a report showing the advantages of using the poor soils and wastelands for tree planting, giving examples from the farms of the district if possible. Products From the Home Woodlands Aim.—To learn what products from the home forest