l66 TIMBER VALUATION 



of the timber explain why western yellow pine can be estimated 

 cheaply. The timber of Alaska also falls into this group. 



In the next group — that in which the cost per acre is seldom 

 less than five cents — are types from various parts of the 

 United States. They have the same minimum cost for various 

 reasons. The lodgepole pine of the Rocky Mountains occurs in 

 dense stands of uniform size, not readily accessible and hence not 

 especially valuable. Silver pine stands on the other hand are 

 valuable but they are so uniform in size and composition that they 

 can be covered rapidly. The costs for southern hardwoods are 

 also low in spite of the variety of species because of the low stump- 

 age values and openness of the stands. This statement is true 

 even tho the southern hardwood coves contain dense stands of 

 valuable species for the reason that the coves form but a small 

 percentage of the type. 



In the seven to eight cent group fall the open stands but high 

 priced stumpage of the southern pine type; the dense, inacces- 

 sible Engelmann spruce, and the heavy but low priced stands of 

 Douglas fir, redwood and sugar pine. 



Northern hardwoods and northeastern white pine cost about 

 the same per acre because the stumpage values are high. The 

 greater value of the pine offsets the larger number of species in 

 the hardwood type. 



The most expensive types to estimate are northern spruce and 

 the southern bottomlands. Both have relatively valuable 

 stumpage and both are inaccessible with poorly marked boundary 

 lines. 



Quality of Timber. — Of the factors that effect the quality of 

 timber, size is the most important. Other things being equal the 

 wider and longer a stick of lumber is the more valuable it is. The 

 largest sizes can naturally be secured from the Pacific Coast where 

 the climatic conditions have favored the growth of large, tall 

 trees of unusual dimensions, so that the sequoias, Douglas fir, 

 sugar pine, silver pine or western larch are sought when excep- 

 tionally wide or long lumber is needed. The east can, however, 

 give lumber of no small size from its white pine, southern yellow 

 pine and yellow poplar. In fact, these species grow large enough 



