714 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



from two to three men are generally used on the appraisal work, ac- 

 companied by a specialist from the Office of Silviculture or from the 

 Forest, to draw up the marking plan. Small areas are often worked 

 by one man. From one-quarter to one section per day per man is about 

 all that can be properly examined. This amount varies largely with 

 topography, weather conditions, underbrush, and other factors. 



DETAILED EXAMINATION OF AREA 



The first step taken in large drainages is to make a sufficient exami- 

 nation of the area to determine the main transportation possibilities 

 and to decide upon the most feasible method of operation. When this 

 has been determined, the intensive examination follows. The creeks 

 and ridges of the area to be worked are copied from the timber-survey 

 map into a field-map book (on the scale of 4 inches to the mile), and 

 when there are two or three men making the examination the work is 

 planned from one to three days ahead. 



The timber-survey estimates by 40s are also transferred to this book. 

 Practically all logging chances containing more than one section are 

 subdivided into smaller units. Any small creek or sidedraw which from 

 a topographic point of view forms a natural logging unit is considered 

 separately. 



Logging costs vary widely between these smaller units in many cases, 

 and for that reason it is necessary to keep a separate record of the 

 costs for each subunit. 



All areas which must be hand-logged are also kept separately. If a 

 section, quarter section, or 40 is divided into several units, a copy of 

 the creeks, draws, and ridges, showing the acreage of each unit, and 

 the estimate showing the amount of timber on each 40 allow the de- 

 termination approximately how much timber will be removed from 

 each unit. Each creek and sidedraw is carefully examined in the field 

 and numbered consecutively in the order of examination. The date of 

 the examination, the number of each creek and draw, section, town- 

 ship, and range is recorded in a notebook. 



The appraiser paces up all the draws to the limits of merchantability 

 and plainly blazes points on the proposed sale-area boundary. He also 

 paces up the hillsides on either side of the draw to determine the log- 

 ging conditions and the limits of merchantability. The boundary is 

 blazed at all these points, provided that merchantable timber does not 

 extend across the ridge into the next draw. The appraiser should see 

 every 40 in the drainage. 



A brief description is written of each unit, giving logging conditions, 



