THE WORLD'S GREATEST WOODLOT 635 



value gives the forester a particular land spruce the largest and finest of 

 interest in this region. The white fir the world's spruces, extends southward 

 of the coast, much like the eastern till its predominance as a special coast 

 balsam, makes its appearance here, also tree is usurped by Port Orford cedar, 

 hemlock, and occasionally a paper birch, which in turn gives way to redwood. 

 The highest mountains have several al- The Pacific northwest forest also in- 

 pine conifers of no commercial value. eludes, although much more sparingly 

 Northeastern Washington and the in quantity and inferior in quality than 

 east slope of the Cascades as far south the eastern hardwood regions, maple, 

 as northern California, being sheltered ash, alder, laurel and oak, and the 

 from the Pacific rain-winds, return world's supply of the medicinal cascara. 

 somewhat to Rocky Mountain condi- Paper mills use its spruce, hemlock, fir 

 tions and bear chiefly forests of high and cottonwood for pulp. Its oak is 

 quality western yellow pine, invaded not of the highest value, but useful, 

 more or less by lodgepole where recur- About midway southward through 

 ring fires prevent yellow pine reproduc- Oregon, the Cascade type changes 

 tion and shading into tamarack and fir again, the red fir and western yellow 

 at higher altitudes. Occasionally the pine persisting but the peculiarly north- 

 same Engelman spruce of the Rockies ern trees giving way gradually to sugar 

 occurs in some numbers. Broad leaved pine, incense cedar, Shasta fir, and other 

 trees, except the ever-present cotton- less important species, all making up 

 wood and aspen, are lacking as else- the representative forest of Northern 

 where in the interior west. California. Sugar pine, the largest of 

 The next distinct type is the famous the American pines and much like white 

 one associated with the Pacific north- pine in quality a truly noble tree is 

 west in the minds of all lumbermen and the most valuable. The California foot- 

 foresters the famous fir forests of the hills also have several local pines of 

 rainy region between the Cascade range small importance. 



and the sea. In nearly pure stands or The famous California redwood oc- 

 mixed with cedar, hemlock, Sitka cupies a strip of perhaps thirty miles 

 spruce, white fir and the other commer- wide from the Oregon line to Santa 

 cial trees in which this region is so Cruz, California, sometimes pure and 

 rich, fir here reaches what foresters call sometimes containing red and white fir 

 the optimism of a species its most per- in mixture. The Bigtree, a close cousin, 

 feet development and this most wide- occurs only in a few groves in the 

 ly useful of American trees often at- southern Sierras. California is rich in 

 tains a height of 200 feet, a diameter oak species, including many beautiful 

 of 8 to 12 feet, and in favored locations live oaks, but few are of high lumber 

 yields more than 75,000 feet, board value. On the other hand the Cal- 

 measure, to the acre. Its frequent com- ifornia tan oak, abundant on the coast 

 panion. western hemlock, is scarcely less of southern Oregon and northern Cal- 

 magnificent in size or less valuable, ifornia, produces high-grade bark for 

 being quite different from its eastern Banning and often is worth as much 

 namesake. In the mountains these spe- per acre as fairly good timber land. 

 cies mix with white pine and with the Owing to the infinitely varying mix- 

 noble and amabilis firs (sometimes er- ture of species and the lack of any 

 roneously called larch), both woods of widespread and uniform attempt to ar- 

 high value although comparatively little rive at their proportion through per- 

 known. and in the highest situations is centage systems, it would be a rash 

 found the handsome cabinet wood, guess even to approximate the available 

 Alaska cedar. quantity of each of the important corn- 

 Through this region, the moister lo- mercial species. Even the total is esti- 

 calities produce the giant red cedar, mated differently by different authori- 

 two-thirds the nation's cedar supply ties, not only because of varying infor- 

 coming from western Washington and mation sources, but also because the 

 Oregon. Along the coast Sitka or tide- standard of what is merchantable 



