SLASH DISPOSAL IN THE LAKK STATKS H3 



Efficient methods also are an important factor, as slash disposal costs 

 can be materially reduced by a little head work. In the present case 

 the outstanding efficiency features of the methods developed are: 



(a) Piling the brush as it is cut — because of the greater ease of 

 handling, to avoid rehandling. and to get it out of the way of future 

 operations ; 



(b) Falling and piling the hemlock brush first — to make a founda- 

 tion for the piles that will insure a clean burn ; 



(c) Falling the hardwoods on top of the hemlock brush piles — to 

 avoid handling the heavy hardwood tops (another argument for com- 

 bining brush piling with logging) ; and 



((/) Burning the piles in the spring while snow is still on the ground 

 — to avoid the risk of fire and to reduce the damage incident to brush 

 burning. 



i^.y skidding the hemlock before the hardwoods are felled and burn- 

 ing the brush piles before skidding the hardwood, it was believed that 

 the logs could be gotten out still cheaper. As yet. however, this plan 

 bad not been tried out. 



The operation in question is in a typical hardwood-hemlock stand, 

 consisting of 40 to 50 per cent hemlock, 10 to 20 per cent pine, and th( 

 balance hardwoods in which maple, birch, basswood, and elm pre 

 dominate. The stand averages about 12,000 feet per acre and the logs 

 run about ]3 to the thousand. Practically clean cutting is being prac- 

 ticed and close utilization is insisted upon, the hemlock being cut 

 to S inches for logs and 4 inches for pulp, while the hardwoods are 

 cut to fi inches and logs as short as 8 feet are taken out. The work 

 for the most part is let out to jobbers on a piece-work basis, although 

 one or two camps are run where the men are hired by the day. On 

 a piece- work basis 18 cents was paid in 1920 for cutting (including 

 felling, trimming, and brush piling) for logs Kj feet and over, and 

 1 I cents for logs 14 feet and under. On the same basis 7 cents and 5 

 cents are paid for pulpwood. The skidding, loading, etc., is either let 

 as a separate contract or handled by day labor. In 1919 the average 

 cost at the track for logs was $7.14 per thousand, including brush 

 piling, for 1920 $9.90 per thousand, the increased cost being due to 

 general wage increases in all lines of w^oods work. 



Another item of interest is the requirement that all snags over 10 

 feet high be cut. For this work the men are paid 25 cents per snag, or 

 where the snag contains two merchantable logs. 35 cents. This prac- 



