. Journal of forestry . within the seeding limits of the trees the re-production is vigorous and ample. On a permanent sample plot locatedin aspen near a body of white fir and Douglas fir, well below the limitsof alpine fir, and therefore in the general permanent aspen belt, thereare 4,182 seedlings and saplings per acre. On the end farthest fromseed trees, about 150 feet distant, they run 2,178 per acre, and on theother and 60 feet distant there are ])er acre. As the ability ofthese conifers to crowd out aspen as a type is undoubted, although in-dividual trees are bound to persist in a
. Journal of forestry . within the seeding limits of the trees the re-production is vigorous and ample. On a permanent sample plot locatedin aspen near a body of white fir and Douglas fir, well below the limitsof alpine fir, and therefore in the general permanent aspen belt, thereare 4,182 seedlings and saplings per acre. On the end farthest fromseed trees, about 150 feet distant, they run 2,178 per acre, and on theother and 60 feet distant there are ])er acre. As the ability ofthese conifers to crowd out aspen as a type is undoubted, although in-dividual trees are bound to persist in almost coniferous stand, it isvery evident that this aspen is far from j^ermanent. Similar data havebeen secured in many other places in the aspen stand and all lead to oneconclusion : The aspen is essentially temporary, although the seedingin of large areas by conifers is a very slow process. As Fetherolf remarks, a proper knowledge of the permanence ofaspen is necessary to the proper management of the type. If from an. ASPEN AS A TEMPORARY EOREST TYPE 303 economic viewpoint the tendency toward a reversion to conifers is de-sirable, management must be so applied as to favor them by moderatecuttings to maintain an optimum sheltering canopy rather than a cleancutting system that is so favorable to aspen, but which is not conduciveto the establishment of the conifers. Planting under aspen is an en-tirely natural process and will undoubtedly prove successful with Doug-las fir when the methods of handling that rather difficult species areproperly worked out. While it is impossible at this time to statewhether the perpetuation of the aspen type or its reversion to conif-erous forest is most desirable from the standpoint of forest manage-ment, it seems probable that at least the poorer aspen sites will beturned over to the conifers, as they alone yield material which is mer-chantable at the present time on such sites. Since aspen is so clearlytemporary, such a change can be made eithe
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