CHESTNUT IN TENNESSEE. 33 



RELATION OF BOARD FEET TO CUBIC FEET AND CORDS. 



Table 11 shows the number of board feet (scaled by the Doyle- 

 Scribner rule) to 1 cubic foot and to 1 cord of merchantable volume 

 for trees of different diameters. It is evident from this table that as 

 the diameters of the trees increase a greater number of board feet 

 can be obtained for every cubic foot and consequently for every cord 

 of merchantable volume. Thus, only 3 board feet can be obtained per 

 cubic foot for trees 12 inches in diameter, while from trees 30 

 inches in diameter 5.2 board feet can be obtained for every cubic 

 foot. In addition the lumber from the larger trees is of better 

 quality than from the smaller ones. This means that, in many 

 instances, it is more profitable to convert the smaller trees into 

 extract wood than into lumber. For instance, if the stumpage price 

 of lumber is $2 per thousand board feet and of extract wood $1 per 

 cord, the same amount of material from 12-inch trees would be 

 worth $1 if sold as extract wood and 63 cents if sold as lumber. On 

 the other hand, from 30-inch trees the same amount of material 

 would be worth $1 if sold as extract wood and $1.11 if sold as lum- 

 ber. At these stumpage prices the timber is worth more as extract 

 wood from trees up to 24 inches in diameter, and more as lumber 

 from larger trees. If the actual mill cut, which overruns the values 

 given by the Doyle-Scribner rule, were used as a basis, the number 

 of board feet per cord would be greater, and the value of the trees 

 for lumber correspondingly increased. In these calculations the 

 slabs from the saw logs are given no value, and tops, which would 

 not be merchantable as sawlogs, are excluded. 



Table 11 Board feet (Doyle-Scribner rule) per cubic foot and 

 per cord for trees of different diameters. 



