FOREST COMMISSIONERS REPORT. 113 



much the stand will saw out. A portable mill operator or timber 

 speculator offers the owner perhaps $2,000 for his standing 

 timber. The owner of the timber lot doesn't know how much 

 there is on it, the money offered "looks big," it is needed per- 

 haps, and he accepts the offer. In many cases it was shown 

 that following this plan his loss was at least fifty per cent. The 

 increase in the value of good saw material, and its scarcity, 

 makes it possible for the woodlot owner to exact other methods 

 of purchase. The above method should always be avoided. 



Timber should be sold by actual scale either of the log or of 

 the boards after sawing. Measurement of the boards after 

 coming from the saw is the best way, when it can be done. By 

 this method every board foot is accounted for, and no allow- 

 ances are made. Scale of the log is the more common method 

 of measuring lumber, and is generally satisfactory to both 

 parties. The logs are scaled after cutting, either in the woods 

 or at the mill. The Maine log rule is a very good one when 

 properly used. Stumpagc value, or the price which the woodlot 

 owner should receive per thousand board feet, may be figured 

 by deducting from the market value of the sawed lumber the 

 total costs of logging, milling, and taking to market, plus a fair 

 rate of profit to the millman. A fair log scale, and proper ad- 

 justment of the stumpage values will safeguard the interests 

 of the woodlot owner and be satisfactory to the purchaser of 

 the timber. 



Selling timber by the lot generally has the further disadvan- 

 tage of allowing the operator to slash the young growth and 

 leave the land in a condition ripe for fire and unproductive of 

 more timber. Therefore in addition to selling the timber on 

 an actual log scale basis the woodlot owner should also insist 

 upon some restrictions in logging. It is not necessary to impose 

 brush piling and burning, etc., upon the operator — unless the 

 owner wants to lower the stumpage rate, 'but good average 

 care and complete utilization of all material that is merchantable 

 will not foe too much of a burden on the millman and it will 

 leave the ground in very much 'better condition. 



I LSTI M ATI NO STA NDI NO T 1MI! KR. 



Many times the woodlot owner would like to have some idea 

 an 

 8 



of the amount of standing timber he has in his lot. The f ol- 



