NEWS AND NOTES 



It has just come to the knowledge of the Department of For- 

 estry of the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell 

 University that certain members of the Society of American 

 Foresters failed to receive copies of the pamphlet containing the 

 Proceedings at the Opening of the Forestry Building, May 15, 

 1914. This publication contains the addresses delivered during 

 the opening exercises and also at the open meeting of the So- 

 ciety of American Foresters held on the following day. Anyone 

 who desires a copy of this pamphlet may obtain it by writing to 

 Professor Ralph S. Hosmer, Department of Forestry, Cornell 

 University, Ithaca, N. Y. 



As a result of the present lumber market, it has been neces- 

 sary in Northern Idaho to modify a number of government 

 timber sale contracts which provided for the cutting of all species. 

 Under present market conditions, fir and larch are not mer- 

 chantable except in limited quantities. The market for cedar 

 poles has also slumped to such an extent that it is almost im- 

 possible to cut cedar for this purpose. As a result, it is neces- 

 sary to allow operators to cut only White pine on many of the 

 timber sales. Silvicultural investigations of the forest condi- 

 tions indicate that the removal of White pine and cedar can be 

 allowed without serious results. On many of the areas there is 

 only a limited amount of fir, so that this species is comparatively 

 unimportant. On account of the presence of large quantities of 

 unmerchantable hemlock and White fir, good silviculture requires 

 the slash burning of the areas in order to get rid of these species. 

 The further extensive cut largely depends on the market for 

 cedar. The larch will stand through a slash burn without injury 

 and can be logged at a later date. 



The sale of dead timber killed in the forest fires of 1910 in 

 Idaho is about completed. Numerous modifications in the origi- 

 nal contracts have been necessary in order to allow for the very 

 rapid depreciation of the timber. It has been found that spruce 

 checks so badly that it is unmerchantable in about one year after 

 the fire. White pine will remain merchantable for a longer 

 period, but the per cent of cull as result of checking is very large. 



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