214 DEPAKTMENTAL REPORTS. 



however, rapidly gaining in general utility. For example, experi- 

 ments have already shown that railroad ties of this tree, when 

 impregnated with a proper preservative, satisfy the necessary require- 

 ments as to length of service, and its utilization for this purpose, as 

 well as for mining timbers, seems to be assured. 



The chief obstacles to forest management on lodgepole lands is the 

 repeated forest fires that annually burn over large areas, and one of 

 the main objects of this study was to discover how to control and 

 prevent these fires. Particular attention was also given to the matter 

 of waste in logging and to the disposal of slash and tops. This slash 

 left after logging forms one of the greatest obstacles to fire preven- 

 tion, for it becomes very dry and inflammable in summer and makes 

 a very hot fire. With an efficient system of fire protection forest 

 management promises to be highly successful for lodgepole pine 

 timber lands. 



WESTEBN YELLOW PINE. 



A study of one of the most important commercial timber trees of 

 the West, the western yellow pine, completed during the year, was 

 made to determine the best methods of management of this- species, 

 based on its reproduction, rate of growth, and silvicultural charac- 

 teristics. Measurements of sample plots and of the rate of growth 

 and actual volume of felled trees were made in South Dakota, Col- 

 orado, Montana, and California. The tables obtained will be of 

 great assistance to timber-land owners in estimating the amount of 

 standing timber on their lands and the rate at which it will grow. 



In addition, the commercial distribution of the species was mapped, 

 and a careful study was made of market conditions, methods of 

 lumbering, uses of the wood, and the characteristics of the tree, 

 including its requirements as to soil, moisture, elevation, etc. 



SUGAE PINE. 



In connection with the study of the western yellow pine in Cali- 

 fornia, the study of sugar pine in that State, begun m 1902, was 

 completed. The sugar pine is one of the important timber trees of 

 the coast, but a difficult species to manage under prevailing condi- 

 tions. Fire protection on cut-over lands is the most important con- 

 sideration. The report on this species will contain volume and rate 

 of growth tables and carefully prepared silvicultural notes, and will 

 furnish much information of practical value. 



SCRUB PINE. 



During the spring months the Forest Service carried on a study of 

 the scrub pine in Virginia and Maryland, in order to furnish infor- 

 mation to farmers and timber-land owners in these States, where there 

 are large areas of abandoned farm land, covered with dense stands of 

 this species. Particular attention was given to market conditions 

 and present and possible uses of the species, especially for pulp wood 

 and lumber. 



SPECIES USED FOK KAILBOAD TIES. 



The tie problem in this country is becoming more important every 

 year. The study of loblolly pine in eastern Texas, with special refer- 



