30 



Prolonging the Cut of Southern Pine 



have been possible to have utilized completely the entire merchant- 

 able part of the bole had the log lengths been carefully marked 

 off. The table gives a very conservative estimate of the waste 

 in felling and log-making because it does not cover loss from high 

 stumps, excessive trimming lengths, or of logs so cut that the 

 best quality of material was not secured. 



The yearly waste in tops on this operation, based on the annual 

 cut for 1911, 1 was 1,937,795 feet b.m. (Doyle rule), and adding 

 25 per cent increase for overrun at the mill, it shows a loss of 

 2,422,243 feet b.m. Assuming stumpage is worth $4.50 per 1,000 

 feet b.m., the annual loss is $8,770. The profit secured from the 

 sale of the sawn material, say $3 per thousand feet, should be 

 included with this, which brings the total to $14,533. 2 



A gain of one year's cut (based on the cut of 1911) could be 

 secured every 22.7 years, if the total merchantable timber on the 

 lands were utilized. On the basis of a 20-year cut, the life of the 

 operation would be prolonged 10.5 months. 



Table 6. — Measurements on Cut-over Lands in Ashley County, 

 Arkansas, Showing the Lack of Close Utilization. 



(Doyle Rule) 



Area in 

 acres. 



2.295 

 1.147 

 2.295 

 2.295 

 2.295 

 8.895 

 2.295 

 2.295 



No. of trees 



cut. 



Log scale 



utilized. 



bd. ft. 



1.3,046 

 12,455 

 26,4;% 

 28,660 

 28,005 

 20,778 

 27,920 

 38,350 

 19,750 



Log scale 



left in tops. 



bd. ft. 



1,025 

 1,120 



1,527 

 816 



Total merch. 



contents. 



bd. ft. 



14,071 

 13,575 

 27,636 



29,640 



Per cent of merchantable timber wasted in tops equals 3.51. 



The price of lumber 20 years hence will be far greater than it 

 is to-day and the character of material that can be utilized will 

 undergo a change ; therefore, every year the operation can be 

 extended will mean increased profits per thousand board feet of 

 lumber manufactured. 



Closer utilization will not mean an increase in the percentage 

 of lower grades, but on the contrary the tendency should be the 



1. The data was secured in 1912. 



i. The loss is in reality greater than this because the added expense of skidding, loading, 

 hauling and sawing logs with an added 2 or 4 feet length is only slightly in excess of the cost 

 of handling the shorter logs, and the operator really secures this added timber at a very slight 

 additional cost. 



