THE REDWOOD, 



CALIFORNIA'S MOST VALUABLE TIMBER 



TREE, WHOSE MANY UNIQUE QUALITIES 

 GIVE IT A WIDE RANGE OF USEFULNESS. 



ARDENT believers in the excellence use of wood for building purposes has 



of Redwood lumber have ascribed been so general. 



to it so many worthy properties that Redwood is unique not only in its 



many persons, and especially easterners, lumber qualities, but in its manner of 



accept many statements concerning it growth, distribution, and other silvi- 



with a grain of salt. Perhaps this may cultural characteristics, all of which 



account for the comparative infrequency have been brought out in a bulletin 



of its use except in the neighborhood recently published by the Bureau of 



of its growth, though it is more likely Forestry. This publication makes a 



that high freight rates have a great careful study of the tree, its methods 



deal to do with its lack of use in the of reproduction, and goes into the ques- 



eastern United States. It has been tion of applying the principles of for- 



stated that the wood makes excellent estry to lumbering operations in the 



fuel, and that it is fireproof ; that it is California Redwood groves. Also it 



the lightest wood that can safely be treats of the fungus growths which at- 



used in building, and that it is so heavy tack the tree, and the insect enemies, 



that it will sink in water ; that it can finding in both these latter cases that 



be cut and worked easier than White the Redwood is singularly immune from. 



Pine, and that it is so hard it will turn depredations which work havoc among 



the edge of a steel tool. many other woods. 



These very apparent inconsistencies The Bureau of Forestry sought to 

 may be reconciled in some degree by a find out whether there would' be profit 

 slight modification of the statements, in holding cut-over lands for future 

 Clear Redwood is at once light, easy to crops, and going to the expense of pro- 

 work, soft, and straight-grained. Red- tecting the young growth in lumbering 

 wood burls, or knotty excrescences put operations and from fires. It has been 

 forth by the tree to heal a hurt, are stated, and believed even by those who 

 heavy enough to sink in water, and live among these trees, that the Red- 

 hard and tough enough to daunt an wood represents what an Irishman 

 edged tool. They are, when properly might call " an extinct living species," 

 worked, very beautiful, being suscept- and that efforts toward its reproduction 

 ible of a high polish, which, with their would be futile, as conditions under 

 rich red color, makes them like mahog- which the trees started, one thousand 

 any in finish and curly maple in texture, or more years ago, no longer exist. 

 As for being fireproof, it can be said To most any observing person it is ap- 

 that the absence of resinous gums makes parent that this idea is an absurdity, 

 the wood fairly fire resistant, and that The old giants among the Redwoods 

 cases have been known in San Fran- are bound to be cut, except in a few 

 cisco, which is built mainly of Redwood, places where they may be preserved in 

 where a party wall of that material has parks, for the simple reason that it is 

 offered an efficient check to the spread profitable to lumber them, and future 

 of a conflagration. Moreover, the fire generations of these trees will never 

 record of San Francisco, essentially a attain the size of the patriarchs of the 

 wooden city, whose hills and high winds virgin forest because the sawmill man 

 make many difficulties for the local fire cannot afford to wait that long ; but it 

 department, show that there has been has been demonstrated by Mr. R. T. 

 an immunity from serious fires not en- Fisher, of the Bureau of Forestry, that 

 joyed by any other city in which the Redwood reproduces itself abundantly 



