24 



BULLETIN 426, U. So DEPARTMENT OP AGEICULTTJEE. 



The range of stumpage rates secured for sugar pine in sales of 

 National Forest timber in California made during recent years is as 

 follows : 





Maximum. 



Average. 



Minimum. 





$3.50 

 3.50 

 3.50 



S3. 40 

 2.75 

 3.00 



S2.75 



Central Sierras 



2.50 





2.75 







Within the California National Forests extensive bodies of timber 

 containing sugar pine are now being offered for sale, and complete in- 

 formation regarding these tracts can bo secured from the district 

 forester at San Francisco, Cal. Operators in National Forest timber 

 are not required to make large advance payments ; and the stumpage 

 is not taxed, although the State derives a direct compensating revenue 

 from all sales, through the United States Treasury. Operations in this 

 class of stumpage are somewhat more expensive than on private lands 

 because from 10 to 35 per cent of the younger timber is left on the 

 area, and the piling and burning of refuse is required as well as the 

 cutting of unmerchantable trees which are a fire or disease menace. 

 These costs are taken into account in the appraisal, however, and are 

 borne by the stumpage and not by the operator. 



GROWTH AND YIELD. 



HEIGHT GROWTH. 



One of the most remarkable characteristics of sugar pine is its 

 ability to sustain a rapid rate of growth up to a very advanced age. 

 Its rate of growth in height is comparatively slow; up to about 100 

 years of age it is less than that of yellow pine. At this point it forges 

 ahead and maintains its lead. In the most favorable situations, dur- 

 ing its first century of life, sugar pine makes an average annual height 

 growth of about 1 foot; during its second century, about 0.6 foot; 

 and during its third century, about 0.4 foot. 



Foresters are interested principally in the rate of gro'v^th in. the 

 second-growth stands rather than in virgin stands, since this indicates 

 the possibilities of the species under management. In the case of 

 sugar pine it is very difficult to find representative second-growth 

 stands, because there are but few sufficiently old cuttings and because 

 sugar pine second-growth never occurs in dense young stands as 

 yellow pine does, but always in open, mixed stands where growth is 

 not forced so strongly by competition for light. Table 15 was pre- 

 pared from analyses of 29 rapid growing, young, second-growth sugar 

 pines. The contrasting yellow pine measurements were taken in 

 thrifty, dense, second-growth stands in Nevada County, Cal. 



