52 THE USE BOOK. 



The officer in charge must see that the cutting is confined to the 

 least possible area and not scattered here and there over the entire 

 tract. So far as practicable all branches of the logging operations 

 must keep pace with each other. Brush piling must never be 

 allowed to fall behind the cutting and removal of logs, ties, and 

 other material. The ground must be cleared as fast as the work 

 proceeds. 



The best way to pile brush and refuse is not everywhere the 

 same, but the object is always to insure easy and clean burning 

 as soon as possible, with the least injury to standing timber and 

 seedlings. The piles should be compact and large enough to 

 kindle easily and burn clean without repiling. Large top logs, 

 broken portions of the trunk, and rejected butts should not be 

 piled with the smaller slash. Such piles are loose and difficult to 

 burn cleanly. Neither should the limbs be thrown across heavy 

 top logs and left in the form of loose windrows. The result of 

 such piling is partially burned slash with a charred bottom log 

 which will not rot. The tops of small trees may be piled with the 

 limbs, but in large timber the branches should be lopped and 

 piled alone, leaving the top logs, butts, and sections of the trunk 

 where they lie. When possible, the piles should not be nearer 

 than 15 feet from standing green trees or dead trees having many 

 branches or a covering of moss which might be ignited. Where 

 the density of the standing timber makes this impracticable, 

 openings should be made by the cutting, or if this can not be done, 

 the piling should be near the least valuable trees and where there 

 is least danger of the fire spreading. The most economical method 

 of burning brush is to burn it as logging proceeds. Where weather 

 conditions make it safe, as when the ground is covered with snow 

 or the forest floor is so damp that fires will not run, fires are 

 started at convenient points, and as limbs are cut from the trees 

 they are thrown on the nearest fires. A mass of live coals is soon 

 formed, which will quickly destroy even large limbs. 



SCALING. 



All timber must be scaled by a forest officer before it is removed 

 from the tract or from the points where it is agreed that scaling 

 shall be done. Each stick of saw logs, timbers, and poles must 



