TAMARACK. 25 



always obtains in the drier western or southern parts. Being 

 saleable only as tie and pile timber, tamarack under 10 inches is 

 not merchantable; and many swamps, though densely stocked, 

 contain not a cord of marketable material. The older stands 

 are generally more open, many of the trees having fallen prey 

 to age and weather. These, with the tall marsh grass and the 

 large masses of dead and fallen timber form, during dry seasons, 

 most favorable starting points for fire. For this reason many of 

 the swamps, in some counties the majority, contain no green tim- 

 ber and continue to be for years a serious menace to the sur- 

 roxmding country. The standing merchantable tamarack is es- 

 timated at about 1,600 millions of feet or 3,200,000 cords, to 

 which would have to be added at least an additional 3 million 

 cords, if pulp wood down to 4 inches is included. 



In estimating the amounts of swamp timber, both cedar (ar- 

 borvitse), tamarack, and spruce, the area of the swampe is esti- 

 mated in lump for some counties, but more commonly by going 

 over the minutes and maps for each township with some well- 

 informed person. The area of burned-over and open swamps 

 was then deducted, and finally a yield per acre for the wooded 

 swamp area settled upon. This latter is generally about 3 thou- 

 sand feet or 6 cords per! acre, and though apparently low, is not 

 far from the truth when compared with estimates of large areas 

 which have been examined in this connection. In the propor- 

 tion of cedar (arborvitse), tamarack, and spruce, locality and 

 market conditions are considered. For some localities, upland 

 cedar and spruce are also estimated. 



Though many of the tamarack and cedar swamps will, in 

 time be converted into hay marshes and even fields, both cedar 

 and tamarack could well continue to produce large quantities of 

 useful material. At present but little tamarack is cut. Some 

 is sawn into dimension stuff, little of it is used for piling and 

 poles. Strangely enough, the poor sappy poles of red (N'orway) 

 pdne are preferred to it in the market, and tamarack,, even for 

 ties, has such a poor rating that most of the ties of these sections 

 are either shipped in or made of hemlock. 



