732 AMEKICAN FORESTRY 



It can be seen from these fig^nres that in amount the dead timber disposed 

 of exceeds the live by nearly two to one, and that, even though the fire-killed 

 timber has to be sold at much reduced rates, the value almost equals that 

 from sales of live timber. 



Every possible inducement is offered to purchasers to help them in hand- 

 ling the dead stuff at a profit. New markets are watched for, low stumpage 

 prices are considered, and special concessions of various sorts are made to 

 permit of its being handled at a profit. The average stumpage rates for the 

 past five years are |1.18 a thousand for dead timber and $2.43 a thousand for 

 live. It should be stated that during the greater part of the first year all 

 timber was sold for |1 a thousand. The highest price received in a sale where 

 all of the timber was dead was |1.25 a thousand and 50 cents a cord. Much 

 timber has been sold at a lower rate because of its inaccessibility. In some 

 cases it has been necessary to build roads to get the timber out, in others a 

 large proportion was unmerchantable, and in still others it had to be taken 

 from a stand of live timber where care had to be used in logging so that no 

 damage would be done to the young stand coming up. . 



While sawmills have been in operation in this part of the country for 

 more than 25 years, it has always been the custom to cut no more dead timber 

 than was actually needed for fuel in the boiler room. But since the Forest 

 has been under administration every merchantable dead tree is removed from 

 the sale area and is utilized for lumber, for ^'squared sets," or is shipped with- 

 out sawing for use as '^cribbing" in the silver mines. Not only does this con- 

 serve the live timber, but it adds greatly to the appearance of the cut-over area 

 and saves the stand from damage which would result if the dead trees were 

 left to be wind thrown or to add fuel to a chance fire. Conservative policies are 

 used with the standing dead timber, and, in marked contrast to logging con- 

 ditions of the past, all of the merchantable parts of the tree are utilized and 

 where stumps were formerly cut at 2 feet and higher, depending upon the 

 time of the year the cutting was done, they are now not higher than 16 

 inches, and all timber for lumber or silver mining purposes must be utilized 

 to a diameter limit of 6 inches and even smaller. 



During the fiscal year 1911, 4,524 cords of dead material was disposed 

 of to supply props, lagging, and entry timber to coal mines in Pitkin and 

 Garfield counties. This use enablest the Service to make a clean sweep of 

 dead timber, because the top diameter limit for such material is usually 4 

 inches and even as small as 2 inches. And since almost every buyer of dead 

 timber can dispose of small material to the contractor for the coal mines, very 

 few sales are being made which do not include the cord stuff. Thus it can be 

 seen that this problem of securing close utilization has been solved, though 

 it was a hard one because of many, many years of wasteful operation. The 

 local Forest officers, as well as those further from the scene of action, have 

 been the recipients of harsh criticism for sticking closely to this policy of 

 thorough utilization, but since the methods and aims of the Service have 

 become better understood, and since it is known why strict requirements are 



