RECOXXAISSAXCE: ITS RELATION TO FOREST PLANS 



25 



TIMBER LINE, ELEVATION 9,000 FEET, MT. LASSEN, SIERRAS, SPECIES MOUNTAIN 



HEMLOCK AND WHITE BARKED PINE. 



ber, should be noted, since these notes 

 are of importance in all phases of man- 

 agement: 



There is also considerable descriptive 

 matter which must be collected inde- 

 pendently of organized reconnaissance, 

 but which at the same time is absolutely 

 necessary for a reconnaissance working 

 plan. Such information applies to large 

 economic units, and when once collected 

 for one of these units need only be re- 

 vised as economic conditions change. 

 Among the most important items are : 

 The climate and geology of the region 

 and their relation to tree and forage 

 growth ; the surrounding population and 

 its relation to the broad subject of for- 

 est protection ; the general logging con- 

 ditions and how these affect the prices 

 that can be secured for the stumpage ; 

 the present population, its demand and 

 who supplies it; the industries of the 

 region in relation to wood-consumption 

 and other matters. 



SILVICULTURE. 



As has been said before, the most im- 

 portant direct result of the reconnais- 

 sance estimates is that they serve as a 

 basis for making timber sales. The tim- 



ber sale contracts of the present time 

 call for a statement of the amount of 

 timber involved in the sale, which figure 

 serves as a basis for the amount of 

 bond, the amount of deposit, and the 

 amount of the subsequent payments. 

 The accuracy of this figure is of the ut- 

 most imjiortance in the matter of stump- 

 age appraisal and, of course, is of great 

 value to the man buying the timber 

 since with the aid of them he can figure 

 his profits. Up to the present time no 

 better and cheaper way for working up 

 timber sales and logging propositions 

 has been devised. 



Besides furnishing the volume of tim- 

 ber by species for both legal and natural 

 subdivisions of land, other valuable 

 data are secured. From the "forty" es- 

 timate sheets the average diameter, av- 

 erage number of logs per tree, and num- 

 ber of logs per thousand board feet, the 

 volume of the average tree, the number 

 of trees per acre, the average stand per 

 acre, and other data can easily be fig- 

 ured. With the help of a growth table 

 an idea of the representation of the 

 \arious age classes can be secured which 

 will give an idea of the possibilities of 

 a second cut. The date on the number 



