DRY-ROT OF INCENSE CEDAR. 51 



of the timber itself, but from the heavy infection of dry-rot in the 

 mature and overmature trees, with the resulting high percentage of 

 cull. Sound incense cedar is distinctly of high value and much 

 sought after for special purposes, such as pencil slats, and in a lesser 

 degree for cabinet material and interior finish. Wood not too badly 

 decayed is of some value for posts and low-grade railroad ties. But 

 the lumberman is naturally averse to handling a large quantity of 

 unmerchantable material in order to secure a small percentage of a 

 really valuable product. 



The first step in overcoming this objection must be the application 

 of a careful scaling policy. 



SCALING. 



In order to handle incense cedar properly on a timber sale the 

 outward indications of hidden defect should be thoroughly under- 

 stood. A valuable index to the condition of the timber will be 

 found in the presence of sporophores or shot-hole cups on the trees. 

 When found, their apparent age should be carefully taken into 

 account in determining the degree and extent of the dry-rot (see 

 p. 10). Excellent clues as to how a decayed tree should best be 

 bucked are contained in the occurrence of shot-hole cups or sporo- 

 phores. Since heavy dry-rot almost invariably extends from the 

 ground level to a varying height above the highest sporophore or 

 shot-hole cup it would, of course, be a waste of labor to buck the 

 tree again at any place between the stump height and the last- 

 named point. 



The scaler should keep in mind the relation of wounds, particu- 

 larly those caused by fire, to dry-rot in the tree. A large pocket of 

 dry-rot occurring close to a healed wound, especially fire scars in 

 the butt of the tree, usually diminishes in area as the height increases 

 and ends in a point immediately above the termination of the healed 

 fire scar it is following. For example, in case a butt log shows a 

 large pocket of decay adjacent to a healed fire scar on its basal 

 cross section, while the top cross section is absolutely sound, it is 

 safe to assume that the decay will end about 6 feet from the base 

 of the log, or in exceptional cases a length of 10 feet may be attained 

 (see p. 44). 



Particular care should be used in scaling butt logs with an open 

 fire scar at the base. As has been shown (see p. 44), dry-rot of any 

 seriousness is rarely found in the dried-out wood around an open fire 

 scar. The base of such a log is nearly always absolutely sound; 

 the top may show the entire heartwood unmerchantable. It is 

 quite possible, then, for the scaler to judge the decay as extending 

 half way down the log from the top, giving the lower half full scale 

 and judging the upper half unmerchantable. This procedure is 



