FORESTS OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 11 



into boards, shakes, and planking. The early settlers used cedar 

 split by hand as a substitute for sawn lumber in flooring and finish- 

 ing their cabins and for the tables and shelves with which they were 

 furnished. The Indians hollowed the great trunks with fire and 

 made them into canoes, some of which were large and seaworthy 

 enough to be used on the Sound and in making voyages along the 

 coast. They wove the fibrous roots into baskets that carried water 

 and plaited the bark into matting. The wood of the red cedar is 

 reddish brown in color. It is soft, light, and very brittle, but very 

 durable. It is extensively used for shingles, the manufacture of 

 which forms one of the important industries of the State. The clear 

 logs are sawed into lumber used for siding, interior and exterior 

 finish, moldings, tank stock, and similar purposes. Common logs 

 are utilized for shingles. In many localities the entire tree is cut 

 into 52 -inch bolts, which are hauled to the mills or floated to them 

 down the streams. 



The western red cedar makes excellent posts and rails for farm 

 fences. The young trees are used for telegraph and telephone poles. 



WESTERN HEMLOCK (TSUGA HETEROPHYLLA) . 



Xext to the Douglas fir the western hemlock is the most abundant 

 tree in the forests of Oregon and Washington. It occurs from 

 Alaska southward to northern California. About Mount Rainier it 

 is found up to an altitude of 5.000 feet. In the river valleys in moist 

 situations it is a large tree, sometimes reaching a height of 250 feet 

 and a diameter of 5 feet. On the high ridges it is stunted. It grows 

 best on moist deep soils in dense forests, but thrives under almost all 

 conditions of soil and exposure if provided with plenty of moisture. 



Western hemlock (figs. 6 and 7) is usually associated with Douglas 

 fir and red cedar, but sometimes forms a forest of nearly pure growth. 

 The hemlock produces abundant seed each year, although it is more 

 prolific at irregular intervals. The seeds germinate readily on decayed 

 moss and rotten wood as well as upon the mineral soil. Seedlings 

 frequently grow on fallen logs and extend their vigorous roots 

 around the side until they reach the ground and become firmly an- 

 chored in it. Young hemlocks thrive in the shade. On logged-off 

 areas which have not been burned over and which are partially 

 shaded by uncut trees, the reproduction of hemlock springs up, to the 

 exclusion of the more valuable Douglas fir. 



The hemlock is long lived and grows slowly. The largest trees 

 are from 200 to 500 years old and are usually hollow-hearted. The 

 bark is thin and the tree very easily killed by ground fire. The wood 

 of the hemlock is tough, light, and straight grained. It is not as 

 durable as the Douglas fir and decays rapidly when exposed to the 



