December, '12] BUTTRICK: BLACK HILLS TIMBER INSECTS 



463 



The establishment of a commmercial treating plant in the Black Hills 

 would solve many of their problems of wood utilization. 



The use of untreated infested material for mine timbers is not 

 usually advisable, since the moist conditions prevailing in most mines 

 allow the continued existence of both insects and fungi, which 

 speedily destroy the timbers, necessitating frequent renewals. 



A certain lumberman in the Black Hills has solved for himself the 

 problem of the use of fire-killed and infested timber, by turning it 

 into box boards. There is a large and steady demand throughout the 

 Middle West for them by the large meat packing companies. He has 

 no difficulty in disposing of any fire-killed material, no matter how 

 much blued or infested, so long as it is not affected with red-rot. 



This solution of the difficulty is not at the disposal of the small 

 man with a portable mill, for it requires a special outfit to saw the 

 match box boards. He might in some cases sell his burned material 

 to a box mill after sawing it out in the rough. 



Summary. Destruction of fire-killed timber is largely accomplished 

 by Buprestid beetles, whose larvae riddle it. In from fifteen months 

 to two years and a half thej^. in combination with fungi, entirely 

 destroy it for commercial purposes. 



The rate of damage varies with the locality of the timber and the 

 season of the fire, being at its maximum in moist localities, following 

 fires in the early part of the growdng season. 



Remedies. Prevent fires, cut and remove fire-killed timber at once, 

 if this is not possible, bark burned and infested trees and place them 

 on skidways to season. Ponding is the best remedy, but is not gen- 

 erally possible. Running of infested logs through a log pond would 

 destroy borers if the logs were left in long enough. The use of poison- 

 ous solutions in the water should be tried. 



Infested material can be used in small amounts for low grade prod- 

 ucts, and for box boards; but often it will not pay to handle it. 



TABLE I. 

 PRELIMINARY TABLE SHOWING RATE OF DESTRUCTION OF FIRE KILLED TIMBER. 



