| Show Decaying ing Stump Is Menace to Hardwood Tree Sprout According to Investigators A sprout from the stump of a hardwood tree has a big initial advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage over a seedling because it makes use of a ready-made ready root system But it has an even greater great great- er disadvantage It is handicapped by its Siamese twin connection to the great mass of decaying decaying- wood woodin in the old stump Pathologists of the Civilian Con Conservation Conservation Conservation Con Con- working working with the United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture Agri Agri- culture specialists specialists-in in examining more than hardwood trees which started from sprouts and had not been damaged by fire found most of the decay traceable directly or indirectly to the old stump Eventually decay organisms gaining entrance either directly or indirectly from the old stump are almost sure to start to work in the heartwood of the new tree although some trees are able to seal out decay decay de de- de cay with layers of growing tissue The decay may not become serious until the tree is 20 to 30 years of age but becomes more serious as asit asit asit it reaches the age when it should be valuable for fuel or timber Hardwood sprouts develop for the most part from dormant buds at or I near the ground line They have havea a direct connection with the first formed wood of the original tree In encouraging second growth on over cut-over forest lands department specialists find it better forestry to cut the sprouts and give the seedlings seed lings a chance If there are few seedlings and many sprouts it may be necessary to depend mainly on sprouts for reproduction Then it is safer to save sprouts from the smaller stumps and thin out those from froin the large stumps Also sprouts from close to the ground level are safer from decay than those from higher on the stump For best results sprout thinning should be done fairly early in the life of the second growth stand stand- before the trees are 20 years old |
