Close Utilization of Timber 29 



be utilized, are often very indefinite. As a result fallers cut trees 

 that are too poor to be brought out at a profit, and on the other 

 hand, leave logs that should be utilized. 



WASTE IN THE TOP 



A common form of waste is shown in Fig. 4. Fallers in measur- 

 ing up the bole of the tree reach a point where there may be one 

 to several large limbs on one side, as "A" and "B," and they 

 make their cut at "X," eliminating the rough portion of the 

 bole. If the other side of the bole is free from limbs, as is often 

 the case, the cutting point should have been extended 2 or 4 feet 

 further, say to "Y," if that affords the proper log length. The 

 object is to secure the added 2 or 4 feet of clear length on the 

 lower half of the section, material that otherwise is wasted. If 

 necessary, the large knots on the lumber secured from the upper 

 half may be cut off on the trimmer. The clear half of the section 

 will not lower the quality of the lumber secured, but, on the other 

 hand, may slightly increase the percentage of the better grades 

 and, in addition, the lumberman benefits by the greater amount 

 of material secured. The added cost of handling the log in the 

 woods and mill because of the extra 2 or 4 feet will be very small 

 in comparison to the value secured. 



FIG. 4. METHOD OF CUTTING ROUGH TOPS. 



Sections of merchantable timber partly or wholly free from 

 knots, and from 1 to 12 feet long, are often left in the tops, due 

 to inadequate supervision. (See Plate IV, Fig. 2, and Plate V, 

 Fig. 1.) In order to determine the waste from this cause, a 

 detailed study was made on 19.5 acres of logged lands belonging 

 to a careful operator. This showed that 3.51 per cent of the 

 total merchantable stand on the area had been left in the tops. 

 The data were secured by measuring every felled tree on the area, 

 great care being taken to scale only such part of each top as 

 was considered merchantable by the owner. No length less than 2 

 feet was measured and the minimum diameter taken was 8 inches. In 

 many cases where the length left in the top was in odd feet it would 



