USES AND RANGE OF THE WHITE TINE. 45 



resiniferous that the woody structure is almost obliterated and they 

 resemble lumps of resin. The tree furnishes a fair fuel and is largely 

 utilized for this purpose. The specific gravity of the wood' is only a 

 little less than that of water, but unless the logs are heavily charged 

 with resin they always float. None of the other Coeur d'Alene lumber 

 trees grow in as accessible places as this, and it is therefore a conspicu- 

 ous mark for the woodman's ax. 



WHITE PINE. 

 Pinus monticola Dougl. 



The white pine, as it is commonly called, comes next on the list of the 

 useful pines of the region. It is very much more abundant than the 

 yellow pine, but as it grows in places more difficult of access is not so 

 generally converted into lumber. 



When obtainable, the tree is sawed into lumber which is used for all 

 purposes. Owing to its freedom from resin it is suitable in many places 

 where the yellow pine is not. For this reason it is rarely employed as 

 rough lumber, ft commands a very much higher price than the lum- 

 ber from the yellow pine, the difference being as much as three to one, 

 and even more, according to distance. It is often made into shingles 

 which are of a superior quality. The sapwood is white and moderately 

 durable. It varies from one-third to one-fifth (according to age) of the 

 total diameter. The heartwood is white, with a tinge of yellowish 

 brown, and when it seasons it acquires a somewhat satiny feel and 

 luster. Neither the sapwood nor the heartwood is resinous except 

 sometimes a narrow zone of wood around the very core. The green 

 logs are very liable to the attack of a longicorn beetle, which begins to 

 bore holes in the sapwood as soon as the tree is felled, except in winter, 

 and deposits its eggs, which soon hatch out into burrowing larva 1 . The 

 tree is also very susceptible to the attack of various fungi, which often 

 destroy every individual over large areas. 



The range of the species is universal throughout the Coeur d'Alenes, 

 but it only becomes of a sufficient size to be made into saw logs on 

 areas where there is a plentiful supply of moisture. It will grow on 

 tolerably well-drained slopes, but does not acquire any considerable 

 size. The largest and best bodies of timber of the species are found 

 on the area which lies between the St. Joseph and the St. Mary rivers, 

 from the junction of the two streams to the northern slopes of the Elk 

 Range j along the central portions of the forks of the St. Joseph; in the 

 region which lies directly to the south of the Santianne valley, and in 

 that which is situated between the head waters of the St. Mary and 

 the Pot latch. The greatest, however, is found in the unburned region 

 along the North Fork and in the western and central areas of this 

 basin. The mean extreme altitudinal range of the species is about 

 1,500 meters (4,000 feet). The zone of greatest density lies between 

 750 and 1,200 meters (2,r>00 and 3,000 feet). The height of the approxi- 

 mately mature tree is from GO to 00 meters (100 to 290 feet), with a 



