WOODLOT MANAGEMENT 143 



or other causes damages can be collected. The usual measure 

 of damages in such cases is the difference between the value 

 of the timber before the damage and the value after the dam- 

 age. The valuation of trees in woodlots for the purpose of 

 determining damages is usually based on the amount of cord- 

 wood it will cut. Before the courts generally if the trees 

 are not large enough to cut for cordwood they have no value. 

 A future value of young forest trees is not recognized. 



If a young apple orchard is burned soon after it is set out 

 and before it has begun to bear fruit, damages can be col- 

 lected far in advance of the cost of the establishment of the 

 orchard plus the interest and taxes and other expenses to date. 

 The courts recognize a value in a young orchard that is based 

 on the expectation of the owner of harvesting crops of apples 

 in the future. This value is sometimes called the expectation 

 value. A young colt has but little value in itself. It does no 

 work and is a constant expense. If killed the owner can, how- 

 ever, collect damages based on the future value and useful- 

 ness of the animal. The same reasoning does not yet apply to 

 young stands of timber. A value based on the future returns 

 or the expectation value is not recognized. The expectation 

 value would be the future sale value discounted back to the 

 time of the fire minus any future expenses. There is no rea- 

 son why such a value should not be recognized and allowed. 

 That it is not is due to the fact that the principles involved 

 are not thoroughly understood. 



In addition to the damage to the present stand of trees 

 and to the future growth, there is also a damage to the soil 

 resulting from the burning of the humus that has been many 

 years accumulating and which acts like a fertilizer to the 

 trees. Future crops will grow much slower because of the 

 loss of humus in the soil. 



Often damages to trees do not become evident at once. 

 After a winter or spring fire in which trees have been injured 

 badly so that they have been completely girdled, they will 



