101 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN 



CHAPTER V 



FORESTRY AND THE FARMER 



Cutting Methods 



] f there is anyone for whom the practice of forestry is prac- 

 lical and profitable, it is the farmer who owns the timber he 

 uses for fuel or other purposes. His supply of the most suit- 

 able material is almost always limited and in any case his 

 method of using it is practically certain to influence his 

 permanent labor expenses. Nevertheless, especially in well- 

 timbered regions, cutting is apt to be with but two considera- 

 tions the quickest clearing of land or the easiest immediate 

 fulfillment of some need for tree products and the passage 

 of a few years brings realization that this early thoughtless- 

 ness must be paid for at a high price. 



In the first place almost all timber of a commercial species 

 has real and increasing value. If it is young, this value is 

 increasing doubly because of growth. Varying greatly, of 

 course, young timber in the Pacific Northwest very often adds 

 from 500 to 1,000 board feet to the acre annually. This 

 annual gain is taking place even if the timber has not 

 reached merchantable size, being like coin deposited in a toy 

 bank which does not open until full. And this is true 

 whether the ultimate use may be for fuel, poles, or salable 

 material like tie or saw timber. 



Too much land is cleared of young growth, merely because 

 such clearing is easy, which is of such low value for tilling 

 or even pasture that its use for these purposes does not pay 

 as well in the long run as would its use for growing timber, 



