TIMBER ESTIMATING IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS 317 



customary to tally ordinary sawtimber to the nearest even log, as the 

 compensation is practically perfect. All visible defects are allowed 

 for in the field. A tree is butted oflf by reducing the tally of d.b.h. ; de- 

 fective parts of the trunk are eliminated by reducing the number of logs 

 tallied. In addition it is sometimes necessary to make in the office a 

 percentage of reduction for defects which can not be detected by the 

 appearance of the standing tree, this per cent for each species being 

 determined on the basis of experience of sawmills operating in the 

 locality. However, it is in general most satisfactory to deduct in the 

 field for all defect if there is any possibility of detecting it. In making 

 these allowances, experience and close observation are called for. 



Poles, Ties', and Posts. 



Telegraph and telephone poles, hewed crossties, posts, and similar 

 products are tallied by the piece in columns under the appropriate 

 species. If the amount of pole timber is considerable, poles of different 

 height are kept in separate columns. It is best to include sawed ties 

 with the sawtimber, estimating the per cent which will go into ties 

 with the proportion which will go into each grade of lumber. The 

 n.umber of sawed ties, if desired, can then be determined by a conver- 

 sion factor. It is sometimes desirable to tally post timber by d.b.h. 

 of the tree and number of standard post lengths, so that the results 

 can be computed in posts of dififerent sizes, or in terms of cords for 

 insulator pin wood if desired. 



Bark. 



Chestnut oak and hemlock bark is often an important product which 

 must be included in southern Appalachian estimates. Black oak bark in 

 some sections is also coming, into market at good prices at this time, 

 and bark of other oaks must be reckoned with in some localities. Bark 

 timber which contains no saw stock is recorded by d.b.h. in a "no-log'' 

 column under the species. Volume tables for chestnut oak bark are 

 now being prepared in the Forest Service under the direction of 

 W. W. Ashe. These will be based on d.b.h., total height, and quality 

 class or "forest type." When no volume tabels are available, the 

 "practical" cruiser's method of allowing one ton of oak bark to a 

 certain number of trees can be used. Experienced bark operators 

 can estimate this number very closely for the difTerent stand classes 

 in localities with which they are familiar. In computing black oak 

 bark, it must be borne in mind that although this runs thinner than 

 chestnut oak bark, the weight of a given volume is enough greater so 



