Some Notes on British Forests, 



An old Parliamentary Eeport inquiring into the state and condition 

 of the woods, forests, and land revenues of the Crown, and dated 

 2oth January, 1787, gives us some interesting particulars; as, for 

 instance : to render the ^ terms lop and top, cordwood, and kibbles, 

 intelligible to those who may not be accustomed to them, it may be 

 proper to explain the signification they bear in the account of the 

 perquisites of the deputy- surveyor and keepers. 



Lop and top is that part of the stem or body of the tree, stripped 

 of the branches, which in navy timber is cut off by direction of 

 the purveyor, as unfit for naval use ; and in stolen timber that part 

 which the thief either voluntarily leaves behind him, or has not an 

 opportunity of conveying away. It frequently happens that these 

 tops contain timber[fit for carpenters' or coopers' uses, and sometimes 

 knees and crooked timbers fit for small vessels, but very rarely for 

 king's ships. When they are unfit for any of these uses they are cut 

 into cordwood. 



Cordwood consists of the boughs and branches of trees cut into 

 pieces a little over two feet in length, and generally about the 

 thickness of a man's arm. Where the branches happen to exceed 

 that thickness they are cleft into two or more pieces to reduce them to 

 that size, in order to be made into charcoal. A cord of wood is a pile 

 of these pieces of the exact dimensions of 8 ft. 8 in. long, 4 ft. 4 in. 

 high, and 2 ft. 2 in.|thick, which lastis the length of each piece. 



Lop, crop, and offal have all the same signification, viz., the boughs 

 and branches of trees, and all are made into cordwood, but the cord- 

 wood of naval timber is made from the whole lops or branches of navy 

 trees, and that arising from miners and stolen timber only from the 

 boughs and branches left by the colliers or timber stealers, and the 

 wood so left is termed " offal wood." 



Kihhles are stolen pieces of timber cut into suitable lengths for 

 cider casks and for wheelwrights. 



The following answers were given by different witnesses with respect 

 to the question : — " Whether the general consumption of oak timber 

 for building or other uses is increased or diminished ; and to what 

 cause in your opinion is such increase or decrease to be imputed ? " 



Bedford — Diminished, in consequence of the scarcity of oak, and 

 the use and utility of deal. Berks — Fir timber used instead where it 

 will answer the end, Cambridge — The consumption for buildings 

 very small, both on account of the scarcity of oak and the cheapness 



