THE SPRUCE REGION 247 



of the two industries (pulpwood production and lumber pro- 

 duction) should be noted. The lumber industry, preferring the 

 larger sized, clearer material, and seeing little or no profit in 

 small knotty logs, tends to leave lands lightly cut. This is not 

 always so; but usually lands cut for lumber are left in better 

 condition than lands logged for pulpwood. The pulpwood 

 operator can profitably use smaller, defective, and more knotty 

 trees than can the lumber operator. As a result of this fact a 

 winter's cut is sometimes disposed of partly to the pulp mills and 

 partly to the sawmills, the former taking the smaller, defective 

 logs, the latter the butt logs and better portions of the trees. 

 The pulp concerns, however, do not aim to accept culls in this 

 way. 



Thus the pulpwood operator is encouraged to cut his lands 

 more closely than the lumberman. Owing to the small-sized 

 trees which can be used, there is all the more need for conserva- 

 tive and scientific handling of lands by the pulp men. Emphasis 

 has already been placed on the fact that, in the selection forest of 

 the spruce region, heavy cutting as a whole is undesirable, so 

 that from this standpoint, the lumberman is to be preferred to 

 the pulpwood operator. However, there are other points to be 

 considered. The ability of the pulp man to utilize small, rough, 

 and defective sticks may be silviculturally an advantage. The 

 pulpwood operation may be utilized to remove undesirable de- 

 fective trees, to make thinnings in too thick groups of young 

 trees, and in disposing of material in the tops of felled trees, 

 which would not be merchantable for lumber, thus reducing the 

 fire danger. Again, the pulpwood concern, owning its own lands, 

 usually has a heavy investment in a pulp mill which can be made 

 profitable only by a long period of use. Thus the continued 

 production of pulpwood on its lands may cause it to handle the 

 lands more conservatively than a neighboring lumberman, who, 

 having a relatively small investment in equipment and plant, is 

 apt to think more of immediate profits and less of continued 

 production. 



Where both operators desire to handle their lands on forestry 



