Remarks on the management, or rather, the mis-management of woods, plantations, and hedge-row timberWest, J.
Science
Remarks on the management, or rather, the mis-management of woods, plantations, and hedge-row timber
West, J.
Forests and forestry
Without speculating further as to the precise cause, it is certain that
the amount of property which is thus wasted, absolutely wasted—and
in almost every case without any advantage to any party whatever—is
enormous, as it would be easy to show by statistical details and
calculations, applying to any estate where this _horror of felling
timber_ may have existed for half a century. Were this accurately done,
there could not but be such a showing, as would fully establish the
truth of what I have advanced. There would indeed be no difficulty
in fixing upon an estate, in any locality, which would illustrate my
position, but I shall not here attempt it, for various reasons, which
will be obvious to all. It would be travelling beyond the bounds of
legitimate remark, were I to refer _to any particular estate_, and
any other references, however accurate in point of fact, would not
be sufficiently specific. I would rather recommend any gentleman
whose estate may be pretty well covered with timber, already, or long
since, arrived at maturity, to make as near an estimate as he can of
its present value, or procure it to be made; and having calculated
the amount which would be exhibited of the gross sum at _compound
interest_, for any given term of years, then let him “try back,” and
endeavour to ascertain what, according to this mode of calculation, may
have been his individual loss. But when a gentleman coolly makes up his
mind to allow his Timber Trees to go to decay without ever _intending_,
or _wishing_, to make any thing of them, why then, in that case,
nothing can be advanced, but to suggest the means of protracting their
existence to the longest possible period.
It is impossible not to do homage to the feeling which prompts a
gentleman to make so large a sacrifice to taste, as to suffer the
greater part of his Hedge-row and detached Timber to perish by slow
decay; but if it can be proved that he acts upon _mistaken views_,
and that, by a better system of management, his object might be
gained without the very serious pecuniary loss which, on the other
plan, he must necessarily suffer, it cannot be doubted that such a
suggestion ought to command his instant attention. It will hardly
be denied, I think, by any one who fully understands the subject,
that _such a regular succession_ of Timber Trees in the Fields and
Hedge-rows might be secured by a proper system of management, as
would sustain and perpetuate the beauties of the landscape, while, at
the same time, _nearly_ every tree should be taken in its turn as it
arrived at maturity. It would, of course, require an entire change
of system, or rather of practice, and the change would necessarily
involve a considerable outlay, inasmuch as a constant supervision
would be required from the time of planting, but whatever might be the
expense, it would be amply returned; and whatever might be the apparent
difficulty, it would not be such but that skill and perseverance would
be sure to surmount it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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