HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



to burn their slash. According to the report ninety per cent of 

 tliis was done with care, and eaiition was taken to confine the 

 burning 'to the owners' property. However, there are stUl some 

 L-areless ones who allow fires to escape, and serious fires would 

 have resulted had the department not taken prompt measures to 

 confine them to areas apart from the timberlands. It is believed 

 that most of the settlers in the timbered area having land to 

 clear are in favor of careful use of fire. Fear of the law in 

 cases where carelessness has been noted has acted as a decided 

 stimulus and has had a favorable result in keeping down fires. 



Eeports stated that the average resident in the vicinity of 

 forests is realizing the necessity of preventing forest fires, but 

 that the task is by no means complete. 



Since the early days of lumbering in Michigan the forest fire 

 question has been entirely neglected, due perhaps to the prodi- 

 gality of timber in Michigan. Careless use of fire became the 

 custom and the /terrible loss resulting came to be looked upon as 

 a natural and unpreventable occurrence. However, the restricted 

 timbered area and consequent higher value prevailing today 

 makes the forest fire problem one to be carefully considered. 



The report stated that comparison of recent fires and those of 

 the past indicate that a serious and dangerous period has been 

 weathered. Statistics show that the loss during the dry season 

 of 1913 when the forests are under close supervision, was much 

 less than any other year. According to the report, the wardens 

 are loyal and haril workers in every case. 



The report stated that 2.5,260 acres, mostly of slash lamls, were 

 burned over during the month of June. Not one-half of one per 

 cent of this area was covered by standing timber. 



The report states that the railroad companies are showing a 

 much more satisfactory attitude in the matter of guarding against 

 fires by using screens in their locomotive stacks and keeping clear 

 the right of way. He said that there are yet railroads who have 

 not taken care of these questions but that it is expected they 

 will fall in line within a short time. 



The report showed that on the 25,260 acres of laud burned the 

 total actual loss in wood, posts, ties, logs, camps, standing timber, 

 bark, cordwood, etc.. was only $3,986.20, which offers a remarkable 

 showing in view of the losses in past years. 



Mr. Hickok then outlined a plan for the general regulation of 

 slash burning. 



The wardens are instructed while visiting townships in their 

 districts to call on town supervisors and present to them a plan 

 whereby slash existing in an}- township, which in dry periods is a 

 menace to the residents and property owners, may be burned on a 

 day selected by the supervisors and that the settlers be requested 

 to assist in the burning of this material. Lumber companies hav- 

 ing camps in the vicinity will also be asked to assist ou that par- 

 ticular day with as many men as are needed. The burning is to 

 be done under the direction of the supervisor and the association 

 warden at a time when the fires can be controlled. The arguments 

 set forth are that by burning in this way the townships will be 

 saved a great deal of money that they would probably lose if the 

 brush were left to be burned with the possibility of spreading 

 fire to the surrounding property. The report states that present 

 indications are that the plan will be generally adopted. 



The report said that several operators have taken advantage of 

 the service made last year to have notaries appointed in their 

 camps and by the sworn voucher system to collect from the town- 

 ship and state the money expended in fighting fires. 



Warden Hickok stated that he is greatly pleased with the auto- 

 mobile l^urchased by the association for his use in fighting fires. 

 He said that it increases the efficiency of himself and his men 

 many times over, stating that he has already covered all eleven dis- 

 tricts and will probably go over several districts a second time 

 while with the old service of train and livery he reached only 

 five of the districts last year. 



President Richardson stated that the report on fire losses was 

 particularly gratifying inasmuch as false reports had been cir- 

 culated as to the enormous losses supposed to have been sustained 



in Michigan at various times and that in some instances insur- 

 ance was immediately canceled in those sections. 



Bruce Odell, chairman of the market conditions committee, sub- 

 mitted a report that was mighty gratifying to the membership. 

 The report in full appears on another page of this issue of Hard- 

 wood Eecord. Mr. Odell supplemented his written report with 

 the statement that the days of hemlock are numbered whether 

 the tree be cut or not. He said that for the la.st few years Michi- 

 gan operators have been aware of this condition and that within 

 five years from now hemlock will be a comparatively small factor 

 in northern production. He said that the cut of hemlock has been 

 kept up during the past few years by the utilization of dead, 

 down and mature timber but that his concern is cutting four times 

 as much hemlock ^this year as it would have cut if only live timber 

 were taken. He said this condition is due to the fact that hemlock 

 will not stand civilization or forest fires and that, with any change 

 in its surroundings or with the visitation of even the most harmless 

 of forest fires, death will follow surely within two or three years. 



The president then appointed a committee on nominations which, 

 after a short recess, returned its report, recommending the re-elec- 

 tion of all the ofiicers for the past year, namely: 



President — F. L. Richardson. 



First Vice-Presidekt — C. A. Bigelow. 



Secoxd Vice-President — D. H. Day. 



Treasurer— C. T. Mitchell.. 



Secret.ary — J. C. Knox. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



Tannin Content of Southern Oak Barks 



The decrease in available supply of chestnut oak and tanbark oak 

 for tanning purposes has led to the introduction of a great many 

 other tanning materials. It has also caused operators in oak timber 

 to wonder if the vast amount of oak bark of various kinds now wasted 

 could not be employed for this purpose. In order to test the character 

 of such barks samples were recently collected and aualyze(], giving 

 the following results: 



S~. £- 1^ P= .5- |S 

 KC? -rZf KC? ffc fcc? ;:i!y 



Total solids 18.00 14.52 26.4G 17 53 20.27 19.41 



Soluhle solids 17.23 13.37 22.S1 1(5.37 18.68 18.43 



Insoluble solids 77 1.15 1.65 1.16 1.59 .98 



Non-tannins 6.51 7.44 9.36 7.0H 7.62 8.05 



Tannin 10.73 5.93 13.45 . 9.28 11.06 10.38 



The tannin contents of any of these species is high enough to war- 

 rant the use of the bark, provided it can be obtained in sufficient 

 quantities and will produce good leather. Tannin is not an uniform 

 substance, but varies widely in different plants so that in practice 

 it is necessary to use various blends to secure good results, depending 

 on the kind of leather wanted. Tannin from any of the black oak 

 group will produce harsh and stiff leather if used alone, but in mixture 

 with chestnut oak tannin and hemlock tannin good results could be 

 secured. 



Another difficulty is in getting the bark peeled. It is necessary 

 fhat this work be done at a season of the year when the cambium 

 layer is Soft — or as more commonly expressed ' ' when the sap is up. ' ' 

 This would mean that logging could proceed only during a couple 

 of months in late spring and early summer or that the trees would 

 have to be felled and peeled in advance of logging operations. These 

 are objections which will not be worth overcoming until the present 

 supply of the standard barks is more seriously depleted. 



It is reported that those behind the proposed forest products expo- 

 sition, which has just been put on a definite footing by the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association, will meet at Chicago on August 5, 

 for the purpose of completing the incorporation of the exjiosition and 

 the yajious details of financing and organizing. 



