30 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



April 23, 192:; 



dowu together upon a single sheet. Cosmos then replaces chaos 

 and order, and symmetry is seen to govern the commercial range 

 of hickory. 



In the accompanying map, which is published for the first time, 

 the commercial ranges of the various hickories are combined, and 

 a series of numbers used to designate the distribution of the species 

 furnishing the commercial cut in the respective regions. The 

 names used are those applied by the Forest Service, to which the 

 writer is indebted for much of the accuracy of the commercial 

 limits. 



Pignut to Feature in Woodlot 



Of particular interest is the commercial range of pignut (No. 7). 

 As greater dependence is laid upon the artificial woodlot, this tree 

 will be certain to feature, because it furnishes wood of the highest 

 technical value and because it is especially adapted to methods 

 of forest management. Sliagbark is scarcely inferior and in addi- 

 tion produces edible nuts. It will, therefore, be favored where the 

 value of the nuts is a consideration. The pecan hickories grow 

 faster and will be extensively offered, but unfortunately the wood 

 of these species is not up to the standard attained by the true 

 hickories. 



The true hickories furnish the bulk of the present commercial 

 supply, and include shagbark, big shellbark, pignut and moekernut. 

 They are distinguished botanically from the pecan group by the 

 character of the buds, which are large, full and covered with many 

 overlapping scales. The pecans include the true pecan, water 

 hickory, nutmeg hickory and bitternut. These species all produce 

 a bud which is thin, narrow and covered by two closely fitting but 

 not overlapping scales. 



No attention is given on this map to botanical or sporadic occur- 

 rence, only the record of commercial supplies having had considera- 

 tion. It is designed to show graphically where the present commer- 

 cial supplies are coming from, of what hickories it consists, and 

 where to look for what you want. 



Cost of Stumpage, Logging and 

 Manufacturing Lumber 



Few people really stop to think and take into consideration that 

 the cost of lumber manufactured and piled in the yard at the mill is 

 fully three-quarters or more in the value of stumpage and cost of 

 getting the logs to mill. Every little detail about the mill is given 

 much consideration and study, how to make the cost less, how to 

 produce the most and especially the best grades of lumber. The 

 manager or superintendent can go over the whole situation in a 

 very short time and be perfectly familiar with all existing condi- 

 tions. As a rule from five to ten men, according to the size of the 

 company, are familiar with operation of the mill and would be able 

 to handle most any department in a business-like manner. Not so in 

 the woods operation. The woods operation is left more in the hands 

 of one or two who have only seen a very small portion of the terri- 

 tory to be operated. They only know practicall.v from day to day 

 what is before them. The woods foreman is usually a very busy 

 man and full of detail work. The owners and resident manager of 

 all plants should be supplied with a map drawn to a scale one to 

 two inches, one inch to equal 40 chains or one-half a mile, or two 

 inches equal 40 chains. The first mentioned size makes a more con- 

 venient map to handle. The mountains, elevations, streams and 

 roads, if any, should be shown on a map, also all ponds, clearings 

 and burnt over or waste territory. There should be a cruise made 

 every 20 to 40 chains and a lot of walking between strips to note 

 how it compares with strips taken. On level land taking a strip 

 two chains or 66 feet wide and blazing the trees in center of strip 

 so one can follow the line, each tree within the strip should be 

 measured breast high, height, length and diameter at top which 

 will produce merchantable logs, and make a complete record of all 

 locations. A cruiser with a fairly correct eye after a little experi- 

 ence can do this without having to caliper every tree. A crew to 

 do this work should consist of at least, besides the cruiser who will 

 direct compass line and tally the trees, a man with an axe to blaze 



the line and two men to carry the chains. The cruiser at the end 

 of each day 's work can ascertain exactly by his records the kind of 

 every tree in each chain, exactly the result of each day's work and 

 have a complete record, and by noting roads and streams on each 

 chain will also have a complete description of the country. 



In a mountainous country, where the timber grows more thickly 

 along the streams and ravines, each stream is practically a separate 

 operation, and strips should be taken as near the stream as one 

 can up the main branch, and from each branch extending from main 

 stream to the top of the mountain. It requires a lot of judgment 

 how to run strips in a mountainous country in order to have the 

 strip in an average stand of timber. Having all the facts of the 

 country to be operated at hand one can then make plans for operat- 

 ing on an economical basis. If you do not have all these facts one 

 mav lay out double the amount of money required to operate a 

 given area. We have seen people make an investment large enough 

 in roads and equipment to take out three or four times the amount 

 of timber they had to remove simply for the fact that the operators 

 did not have complete knowledge of the amount of timber in the 

 area they were about to take out. One sometimes thinks it is a 

 very simple matter to get logs to the mills and requires simply 

 strength and work, and they neglect to work out carefully the best 

 methods to pursue, all of which depends largely on amount of 

 timber, size and location. There are so many methods and kinds 

 of machinor}' made that it required a lot of study and experience 

 to tell what kind of method and machinery are best calculated for 

 the kind of territory to bo operated. Most all kinds of woods 

 machinery must be of heavy type and therefore is expensive when 

 purchased, and also is expensive in preparing for operation, and 

 if these machines are not adapted for heavy work to be done makes 

 the logging cost far in excess of what it should. 



In this connection operators should spend time and money in 

 visiting other operations in order that they may get a clear idea of 

 what is being done in different sections of their country. A person 

 who stays continually on an operation and does not visit others gets 

 into a routine which is sometimes entirely wrong. 



Stumpage represents large investment, and when a tree is cut 

 you begin to take from the principal of the money invested. It 

 has always seemed to the writer unwise to send men practically 

 of no experience to fell trees and cut them into logs without hav- 

 ing some knowledge of what grades of lumber these trees would 

 produce. I have noticed woodsmen, especially in hardwoods, cut 

 trees into logs so that the log when manufactured into lumber 

 would produce more low grade stock than they would if properly 

 cut. If they had first measured the length of tree and divided 

 the logs into proper lengths according to the quality of the tree, 

 and carefull}' considering how far into the top it was practical to 

 take logs, in many cases they would have saved the owners con- 

 siderable money. 



Much consideration should be given the matter of the kind and 

 value of trees used in construction work, and where it is possible 

 use only low grade trees. 



There are a lot of ways to make maps and plans for logging, but 

 the principal point I have tried to set before timber owners and 

 sawmill operators is the careful study of logging methods and sav- 

 ing the stumpage, which largely determines the success or failure 

 of a lumbering operation. 



The writer would be pleased to answer a limited number of 

 questions on any of these subjects. 



(Signed) JOHN A. WHEELER, Forest Engineer. 



Nine Species of Balsa Wood 



Balsa wood, which is ctiniing into wide use for floats and insulation, 

 packing, etc., is produced b.v the tropical American tree o£ tke genus 

 Ochfoma. Instead of there being a single species, as was first thought, 

 nine have been described, thought some of them perhaps should be con- 

 sidered as varieties rather than distinct species. 



Balsa plantations are being established in Central America on worn out 

 banana lands. The growth of the tree is extremely rapid, in some 

 instances as much as an inch in diameter a month throughout the .year. 

 The lightest and most desirable wood is produced during the first there 

 years. 



