12 WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES OP CALIFORNIA. 



Trinity Mountains, 2 to 7 per cent of that in the northern Sierra, and 

 as much as 10 to 20 per cent of that in the southern portion of its range. 



The height that the tree attains commonly varies between 75 and 110 

 feet, and the diameter between 3 and 5 feet. 



The wood is very light, soft, brittle, and not strong; the grain fine, 

 straight and even ; and the sapwood nearly white. It is easily worked 

 on account of its softness and even texture ; and the heartwood is very 

 durable in contact with the soil. It is chiefly used for fencing and 

 poles, and somewhat for sills, etc. Formerly it was not shipped to any 

 extent, but, recently, a heavy demand has arisen for it, in the shape 

 of pencil slats, in the east. 



This species is not highly considered by Sierra lumbermen. It has a 

 rapid taper; and the large trees are almost invariably unsound, as 

 cavities filled with brittle, brownish material occur throughout the 

 heartwood. The wood between the cavities is usually sound ; and except 

 in so far as the unsoundness affects the strength or appearance of the 

 lumber, it is not objectionable, as this rot ceases after the tree is cut. 



The chief future use of the wood will probably be found in the manu- 

 facture of the cheaper grades of lead pencils. Here its softness, straight 

 grain, and whittling and staining qualities make it a valuable substitute 

 for the rapidly disappearing southern red cedar. The sound wood 

 between the rotten cavities can be converted into pencil slats with little 

 waste. 



BLACK COTTONWOOD. 



This species is abundant along streams in the Sierra and southern 

 cross ranges, but much less frequent in the coast mountains. It is gen- 

 erally found between 3,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. 



Under the best conditions for its growth it attains a height between 

 80 and 125 feet, and a diameter between 3 and 4 feet ; but over much of 

 its range it is under 50 feet in height, and the diameter is from 12 to 18 

 inches. 



The wood is soft and straight grained; in dense stands it is fine 

 grained. The color is a dull, grayish brown. Large logs, obtainable 

 from the best grown trees, give clear, wide lumber. 



RED FIR. 



This species occurs in the northern part of the State, extending south- 

 ward in the coast ranges to Lake County. It is found throughout the 

 Sierra, but chiefly on the west side, forming 9 billion feet of the total 

 stand of live saw timber in the National Forests within the State. 



The tree, in the region of its best development, forms a clear, cylin- 

 drical bole, clear from 40 to 60 feet, and reaching a maximum diameter 

 of 5 feet. It commonly attains a height between 125 and 175 feet, and 

 a diameter between 2J and 4 feet. 



The wood is one of the heavy fir woods, soft but firm, rather brittle, 

 straight and usually fine grained. It is considerably more durable, in 



