Sales of Fire-Killed Timber. 25 



In the sales of fire-killed material other factors have controlling 

 weight. White Pine, by far the most valuable species, is much 

 more generally killed outright than its associates, and deteriorates 

 at a far more rapid rate. It is to the interests of both the Govern- 

 ment and the purchasers to remove as large a proportion of the 

 White Pine as practicable before it becomes unmerchantable 

 through decay. The less valuable Larch and Douglas Fir will 

 probably exceed White Pine by four or five years of merchant- 

 able life. It will be possible in many cases to secure the removal 

 of these species in subsequent or secondary operations particularly 

 as many of the larch and fir stands contain tie material and are 

 within easy reach of railroads. In the large sawlog operations 

 now progressing, therefore, the cutting of White Pine mainly is 

 permitted, leaving the mixed timbers for subsequent utilization. 



Other modifications of the usual practice have been found ad- 

 visable, particularly in the handling of debris. Since all young 

 and middle-aged stuff was killed by the fires, the piling and burn- 

 ing of slash will be handled, as a rule, by clearing strips along 

 all routes of fire danger and around the cuttings of the sale areas. 

 Wherever practicable the slash within these cleared strips will be 

 burned clean without piling. 



A recent decision rendered by the Attorney-General will greatly 

 facilitate the removal and use of the fire-killed timber in these 

 States. The burned areas contain a large acreage of railroad 

 grant lands, scrip locations, and homestead entries to which the 

 grantees or entrymen have not perfected title. These lands of 

 clouded status are in effect "no man's land." The Government 

 has no jurisdiction over them and the private claimant not having 

 perfected title has no authority to dispose of their timber. Since 

 many such holdings are interspersed with National Forest lands 

 and should be included with the Forest areas in systematic logging 

 operations, this situation has been a serious drawback in the dis- 

 posal of some tracts. By his recent decision the Attorney-General 

 permits lumber operators to remove timber upon lands in this 

 condition by filing a bond to indemnify the Government for the 

 value of the stumpage taken in the event that such areas revert to 

 the United States. It also will be necessary for such operators 

 to take similar action to protect the inchoate interests of the claim- 

 ants. This decision expands and amplifies an arrangement al- 



