Cutting on National Forests of Pacific Coast. 377 



proximately full stands of reproduction, to leave not less than two 

 or three trees to the acre, or the equivalent of 4,000 to 15,000 

 board feet worth $10 to $25 at present stumpage prices, and this 

 value is constantly increasing. It is safe to assume that all of 

 this will be lost before another cutting can take place, since, even 

 if a few trees should survive they will be so heavy to handle in 

 comparison with the relative small timber obtained at the next 

 cutting, that machinery which will be adapted to removing small 

 timber will not suffice to remove these heavy old trees. 



It is, therefore, a logical conclusion that artificial regeneration 

 will be cheaper and probably better than natural regeneration 

 from scattered seed trees, even leaving out of consideration the 

 cost of protecting the seed trees from fir when the area is slash 

 burned. In some few cases, defective trees containing little 

 merchantable material can be utilized for seed trees ; but on many 

 areas no such trees are found. If such trees are left they will 

 soon die and constitute a serious fire danger, since dead stubs are 

 the worst agency for scattering sparks when fires occur. In the 

 case of groups of seed trees, the loss by windfall will also be 

 extremely heavy, and the objection to having old heavy trees to 

 remove at the time the next stand is ready for cutting is also 

 present. I have seen broad belts of windfall in Douglas fir, even 

 in the edges of solid sections left next to cuttings. 



No sale area in this region has yet been found where it was 

 thought possible to require cutting in strips. The steep ground 

 on the National Forests makes this practically impossible in con- 

 nection with railroad logging, which alone is entirely satisfactory 

 for the removal of heavy timber from steep slopes. Requiring 

 purchasers to remove timber in strips would almost exactly 

 double the investment in railroad construction, which is already 

 heavy, and render logging prohibitive, unless stumpage prices 

 were greatly reduced. Furthermore, in the case of the 

 seed trees in groups or singly, the logger loses an amount 

 on his road construction proportionate to the number of 

 thousand feet left. Since road construction in the mountains 

 will probably create a charge of 50 cents to $1.00 for every thou- 

 sand feet of timber on the ground, the loss to the logger will be 

 $2.00 to $8.00 or more per acre in the case of leaving seed trees, 

 and still heavier where groups of seed trees are left, even leaving 

 out of consideration the cost of protecting them when the slash 



