NOTES 



Wind Shake in Douglas Fir Timber 



In my work with timber sales upon the Flathead Indian Reservation, 

 Montana, I have made a somewhat brief examination of wind shake 

 found in Douglas fir timber. 



Most of the trees were found on deep soil of good fertility and in 

 mixture with yellow pine, on a slope having a northeasterly exposure. 

 Timber on this area cuts from five to seven logs to the tree. About 42 

 per cent of the trees examined indicated the presence of ring shake. 

 Only 50 trees were examined, but from my brief studies I have drawn 

 the following conclusions with respect to this area : 



1. The worst cases of wind shake were found in the more secluded 

 pockets and protected areas. Indications point to the fact that such 

 trees are tall and straight grained, and are therefore less able to resist 

 the sudden gusts of wind that often visit these pockets. 



2. Douglas fir trees grown on ridges are less subject to wind shake 

 than those grown in the pockets. I have examined trees grown on 

 ridges, and have found them free from shake, although cutting five 

 logs to the tree. 



3. Shake is not always found in the butt. It may occur at any point 

 in the tree. I examined several specimens where there was no evi- 

 dence of butt shake, but found it well developed in the second and 

 third log. 



4. Shake occurs at the point of least resistance. As evidence of 

 this, I found examples where an old scar, or cat-face, had grown over, 

 and shake had developed from that point. In about 60 per cent of the 

 examples of shakiness I also found that it .occurred at the point where 

 there was a marked change from zvide to narrozv annular rings, which 

 I conclude must be a point of weakness. 



James B. Saxton. 



U. S. Indian Service, Arlee, Mont. 



Scenic Development Plan for Du Pont Road 



At the request of the State Board of Agriculture the U. S. Forest 

 Service has made a plan for the improvement and development, from 

 a scenic standpoint, of the woodlands, forests, and open lands along 

 734 



