VII. DAMAGES IN TIMBER 



Here belong a great variety of cases, from gas injury of shade 

 trees in the town to the burning of large bodies of timber by fires 

 started by a railway locomotive. And it' is not merely the cases 

 where someone is liable or supposed to be so, but the numberless 

 additional cases where it is part of the forest business to ascertain 

 damages done by fire, storm, insects, etc. 



Normally, the damage is only to the live, growing trees, but at 

 times there is added damage, since it may cost considerable sums 

 to put the land in shape for a new crop. Commonly these cases are 

 complicated. A fire running through a stand of hardwoods may kill 

 half the trees and leave the rest in an injured condition so that a 

 few survive staying alive for twenty years, while most of them die 

 during the first five years. In such cases it is anything but easy to 

 determine the exact facts, or condition. 



Such cases are usually complicated still further by the fact that 

 parts or all of the timber could be used if cut at once, but that various 

 circumstances prevent the owner from cutting, so it may be several 

 years before he gets to all of the lands burned over and in this way 

 loses nearly all of the timber. How far conditions compel him and 

 how far he is at fault himself is usually impossible to ascertain accu- 

 rately. 



Only a few sample cases may be considered here : 



a. The shade tree in town. 



A tree forty years old, satisfactory in every way, is destroyed 

 by a gas leak. What is the true value destroyed ? The owner guid- 

 ed by his feelings would probably place the value at several hun- 

 dred, the person responsible for the leak would value it as fire wood. 



The following calculation may be helpful and approach a just 

 settlement as nearly as possible : 



Cost of establishing a good tree, $15 ; interest at 5% ; 25 years 

 before the tree is really serving its purpose, after that the tree pays 

 its way, pays by its service as shade tree interest on the cost of es- 

 tablishing it. 



The value of the tree is then 15 (i.O5 23 ) =$51.80 and this val- 

 ue remains as long as the tree is in good condition. Cost of caring 

 for the tree, etc., might also be added. 



