SHAKE-MAKING AND TRAY MILLS IN CALIFORNIA 

 NATIONAL FORESTS. 



By Swift Bsrry. 



Ever since the National Forests of California were first put 

 under administration, the problem of dealing with the shake 

 maker has been a live one. Split shakes have been used in Cali- 

 fornia since early settlement both for roofing and siding mountain 

 and foothill cabins and other buildings. For a long time they 

 were the only form of roofing material available for use in such 

 localities. Since shake making requires labor skilled by prac- 

 tise, there came to be men in each locality who followed the vo- 

 cation for a living. It was pleasant work in which one was his 

 own master and the shake makers stayed with it, until now there 

 are in certain localities old men who have no other means of 

 support. 



Although shingles are now used for roofing wherever there is 

 transportation, in certain isolated mountain and foothill regions 

 shakes are still the best material available. Also many valley 

 ranchers still desire to use split shakes for roofing and siding- 

 hay barns. Another use that has grown up for shakes is for the 

 bottoms of trays used for drying fruits, particularly raisins. 



In spite of its necessity, shake-making has been generally con- 

 demned because of the waste of timber incidental to it. Any- 

 one who has been in the woods in the vicinity of old shake- 

 making operations is familiar with the large amount of unutilized 

 material left on the ground. Before the days of the National 

 Forests the shake-makers were careless and felled many trees 

 from which only one or possibly no logs were made into shakes. 

 Later, with the administration of the Forests the cutting of trees 

 was not permitted unless it was pretty certain that they would 

 make shakes. Also by requiring payment for stumpage on the 

 basis of a board foot scale, the utilization of all material that 

 would make shakes in each tree was secured. Yet, with the 

 most careful regulation there still seemed considerable waste in 

 shake-making and another and greater disadvantage became evi- 

 dent. Since most of the shakes are made from the most valu- 



