Alaska Woods. 193 



more scrubby and inferior trees of spruce will be used- It will 

 be impracticable however to have a policy that will restrict 

 the cutting of valuable saw timber trees of that species found 

 scatteringly and in small quantities in mixture with stands con- 

 sisting chiefly of hemlock, therefore large quantities of this 

 species will enter into the manufacture of pulp. Since there 

 have been no special tests made with spruce grown in Alaska to 

 determine whether it differs materially from wood of the same 

 species grown in the states, no definite information can be given 

 as to the quantity and quality of pulp that it will produce. How- 

 ever, the general qualities of the wood are well known through 

 its wide local use, and since it resembles more or less the spruce 

 which is used for pulp in Eastern United States and Canada, it 

 is reasonable to believe that it will produce a good grade of 

 paper. 



Since this species is chiefly concerned in connection with the 

 local lumber industry it is very probable that some new uses may 

 develop through the utilization of sawmill waste. The thick 

 large slabs should be manufactured into box boards, and edg- 

 ings of sound timber should be cut into quarter round, etc. The 

 mills at present are very inefficient especially those that run box 

 factories. In the first place "they cannot produce enough lumber 

 to supply the demand, and their methods are so far from per- 

 fect that they can afford to cut only the best of timber at a 

 profit. 



Western Hemlock. This species is considered inferior to 

 spruce for saw timber and it is not used extensively except for 

 piling. It makes a luxuriant growth and makes up a large per- 

 centage of the stand in southeastern Alaska as well as on a large 

 proportion of the Chugach Forest. Trees- of this species do 

 not reach such large sizes as Sitka Spruce, the trunks are more 

 irregular in shape and large old trees invariably contain much 

 rot and defect. While it makes better lumber for many pur- 

 poses than spruce, economic conditions are such that it is neces- 

 sary for the millmen to resort almost exclusively to the best 

 timber tree. 



The wood of hemlock is comparatively soft, heavier than 

 spruce, non-resinous, has a close even grain and works rather 

 easily. 



Although hemlock is considered superior to spruce for many 



