6 LOGGING 



next decade. The largest manufacturing plants are located on 

 Puget Sound, the Columbia River, and harbors along the Pacific 

 Coast. A large part of the log supply for these mills is floated 

 to market. Great waste, both in the forest and at the mill, 

 characterizes its manufacture. The home market for low grades 

 is limited and the cost of rail transportation across the moun- 

 tains to the central and eastern part of the United States is 

 prohibitive, except for the best grades; consequently much good 

 material is left in the forest to rot, or is consumed in the refuse 

 burner at the mill. The increased water transport faciHties 

 and the cheaper freight rate that will be provided by the Panama 

 canal should be a great stimulus to the closer utilization of this 

 species. The better grades of lumber are exported extensively 

 to Asia, the South Sea Islands and the western coast of South 

 America. Only small quantities find their way to Europe. 



Douglas fir grows in dense, almost pure stands in the Pacific 

 Coast region yielding an average of 35,00c to 60,000 feet of 

 merchantable timber per acre, with 150,000 to 250,000 feet on 

 the better stands. Single trees have scaled 60,000 feet. The 

 maximum yield per acre of Douglas fir so far reported was 

 585,000 feet. This timber grew on the north shore of Puget 

 Sound. 



The cut of Douglas fir in 1910 was 5,203,644,000 board feet. 



Stumpage has increased in price rapidly during recent years, 

 and large areas are now held by non-operating concerns as in- 

 vestments. Timber could be purchased in 1892 for 10 to 30 

 cents per thousand feet but is now held at from $2.00 to $3.50 

 per thousand feet, the price depending on the location and the 

 quality of the timber. During the last two years a number of 

 sales have been made on the National Forests at approximately 

 $3.00 per thousand feet. 



Southern Yellow Pine. — ^ There are three species of yellow pine 

 of primary commercial importance found in the southern region; 

 namely, longleaf (Finns palnstris), shortleaf (P. echinata) and 

 loblolly {P. tceda). The lumber manufactured from them is 

 often marketed under the trade name of yellow pine, although 

 it is customary for manufacturers in a longleaf region to sell all 



