10 Forest Club Annual 



not skidded may be entirely covered by the snow fall of a single 

 day and it is then difficult or impossible to find the logs. The 

 cost may easily be doubled on account of the snow in the high 

 altitudes. If the logs are cut during summer they can be skid- 

 ded before snowfall, and thus eliminate this item 'of increased 

 cost. 



In rough country with many boulders and rock slides, 

 skidding is difficult and expensive. Where the ground is very 

 rough it is sometimes impossible to skid until it is covered with 

 snow, and the cost may be easily tripled, considering the increased 

 expense of cutting and skidding in snow. 



The denser the stand the smaller the cost of skidding, 

 other things being equal. A dense stand makes it possible to 

 haul out more logs over the same skid-trail and shortens the 

 distance the logs must be hauled in order to fill a skid-way. 

 Considering this factor alone the cost of skidding Engelmann 

 Spruce and Lodgepole Pine is less than that for Western Yellow 

 Pine or for the usual stand of Douglas Fir, because the stands 

 are denser. 



The cost of skidding increases with the amount of fallen 

 timber and undergrowth, due to increased cost of swamping 

 skid-trails and skid-ways. 



LOGGING. 



Like skidding, the cost of logging depends largely on the 

 topography of the country and the climatic conditions. It also 

 varies greatly with the distance from the timber to the mill. 

 Where a good road can be constructed the expense of logging 

 is very materially lessened. A moderately steep grade of 8 

 to 14 per cent, is often desirable, because large loads can be 

 taken clown it, and the climb is not so steep as to be too heavy 

 a burden for the team. Roads which wash, are too rocky, or 

 are boggy, or lie so that they become icy, materially increase 

 cost. On an average road where the lumber is not more than 

 80 rods from the mill, five or six trips per day can be made. 

 From four to five hundred board feet is an ordinary load for 

 two horses and a cart or single bob. The cost will vary from 

 $1.75 to $3.00 per thousand, with an average of $2.25. 



BRUSH PILING OR SCATTERING. 



If properly done, there is no appreciable difference between 

 the cost of piling and of scattering brush. 



Of the commercial species in the State the cost is highest 

 for Engelmann Spruce and Lodgepole Pine, there being little 



