WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES OF CALIFORNIA. 11 



The wood is still used for making shakes (a split shingle 36 by G 

 inrhes), as its straight grain, and the ease with which it splits, make 

 it j> referable for this purpose. Logs, too knotty to cut into uppers, but 

 otherwise sound and straight grained, are sometimes turned into bolts 



for match work. 



WHITE FIR. 



White fir, in 1910, ranked twenty-third in the jmmiiiit of lumber pro- 

 duced in the United States. It is cut in several states, but, in 1910, 

 California ranked first in the production of lumber from this species, 

 with 49.2 per cent of the total cut. 



The species ranges from the northern boundary of the State south- 

 wnrd, on the Sierra and on the higher peaks of the coast ranges, to the 

 southern boundary, and eastward to Arizona and Nevada. It is lacking 

 on the coast ranges from Lake County south to the San Rafael Moun- 

 tains. Over 13 billion feet of it, in the form of live saw timber, are 

 to be found in the National Forests within the State. 



Its commercial distribution is entirely within the yellow pine-sugar 

 pine belt. It is not attractive to the lumberman at high levels, except 

 where it occurs mixed with timber trees of the better class. Although 

 it is the most recent of the Sierra species to become merchantable, its 

 standing on the market is insecure. The reason for this lies in the fact 

 that its wood is similar to that of the pines, but far inferior, in most 

 respects. However, it makes excellent paper pulp and is now used 

 most extensively for this purpose. Hitherto, it has had no field outside 

 of that covered by sugar and yellow pine, in which it could not compete. 



The height that the tree attains commonly varies between 140 and 

 180 feet, and the diameter between 3 and 5 feet. 



The wood is light, rather coarse grained, brittle, soft, easily worked, 

 warps considerably, splits easily, holds nails fairly well, decays rapidly 

 in contact with the soil; and is often wind shaken. It is odorless and 

 tasteless, and therefore useful for boxes, woodenware, etc. ; it has also 

 had some use as door stock, in which it proves fairly serviceable. 



Its principal future use, however, may be in the manufacture of 

 paper. It is soft, white, and has a long, strong fiber, three qualities 

 required of a good paper wood. It is now being utilized for this pur- 

 pose, as, in 1910, 30,845 cords were converted into pulp by means of 

 the mechanical and sulphite processes. This amount, 0.8 per cent of 

 the total pulp wood consumed in the United States, was prepared in 

 Oregon and California. 



INCENSE CEDAR. 



California is the only state in which incense cedar is cut. The species 

 occurs in the Sierra and coast ranges. Its total stand of live saw timber 

 in the National Forests within the State is about three and three quarter 

 billion feet, forming 1 to 2 per cent of the yellow pine forest in the 



