84 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN 



PROFITABLE THINNINGS 



In addition to the yield of saw timber to be expected when 

 the second crop reaches manufacturing size, there will be a 

 market in many cases for material obtained by thinning. It 

 is perfectly fair to compound for the remainder of the rota- 

 tion any net profit so obtained and to set it against the carry- 

 ing charges. In many cases it will go far to turn an appar- 

 ently losing investment into a very profitable one. Moreover, 

 the proper thinning of growing stands not only utilizes ma- 

 terial which would otherwise die and be lost before the main 

 harvest, but actually improves the quality of the first yield. 



In obtaining the figures previously quoted the Forest Serv- 

 ice found that the average Douglas fir stand at 40 years con- 

 tains 410 living trees, most of them between 6 and 15 inches 

 in diameter. At 60 years there are but 265 trees, 145 having 

 died and decayed in the 20-year interval which were suitable 

 for ties or other small timber products. The remaining trees 

 would have been improved by thinning to prevent this loss, 

 for the greatest diameter growth is made when the stand is 

 open, and the ideal is to have just the density which will get 

 the greatest wood production and still result in proper prun- 

 ing and clearing of the trees. 



Commenting along this line Mr. T. T. Munger, who con- 

 ducted the investigation, says: 



"That thinnings are silviculturally practicable and finan- 

 cially profitable in the Pacific Northwest has been demon- 

 strated. In the vicinity of Cottage Grove, Oregon, many 

 fully stocked even-aged Douglas fir stands now about 50 years 

 old, most of them forming a part of ranches. Many of these 

 stands have been cut over in the last 10 years and all the 

 material then large enough for piling or mine timber cut out. 

 This removed about 20 per cent of the stand. At the present 

 time many of these same stands now contain much material 

 valuable for small piles, ties and mine timber, yet the crown 

 canopy is as dense and the trees as close and fine quality as 



