194 



TIMBER VALUATION 



Neither type of mill so far discussed fills the needs of a tract 

 which is being handled on a " sustained yield " basis. The large 

 mill demands logs and more logs. The larger the output, the less 

 the depreciation charge per M. As a consequence this type of 

 mill has always left in its wake denuded hillsides cut without any 

 thought of regeneration. Future growth was sacrificed ruthlessly 

 to present profits. The portable mill has likewise been an active 

 agent of forest destruction. The desire to get enough to make a 

 setup pay has frequently led to the cutting of immature timber 

 and little attention has been paid to keeping the logged area in 

 productive condition. Furthermore the portable mill is not well 

 adapted to the manufacture of anything but low grade softwood 

 lumber. The foundations are not stable enough to permit 

 accurate sawing of hardwood nor is the circular saw economical 

 with high grade softwood. And yet the circular saw with its big 

 saw kerf has proven more satisfactory in the portable mill than 

 the more thrifty band saw. 



When a tract is being handled as a permanent forest invest- 

 ment no more than the growth should be cut so that the capacity 

 of the mill must not determine the annual fellings. Furthermore, 

 every tract has a variety of species demanding various methods 

 of manufacture if they are to be put in the best form for sale. 

 Consequently, the mill should have planers, edgers, lath 

 machines, shingle machines, and perhaps a dry kiln. In other 

 words, a versatile mill well mthin the growth capacity of the 

 tract is needed, not a highly specialized one devoted to a high 

 output of one kind of lumber. 



Cost of Logging and Manufacturing Other Products. — Rank- 

 ing next in importance to lumber firewood deceives second con- 

 sideration. From stump to stove it passes thru the following 

 processes: 



Felling, splitting and cutting up into four or eight foot 

 lengths. 



Seasoning. 



Hauling. 



Sawing up. 



Marketing. 



