48 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



quately safe in this region, although I understand it is much used in the 

 southwest. The protection of the soil from dr3dng out by this method 

 is an unimportant advantage, and even in many cases a positive disad- 

 vantage in the regions in which most of our timber sales are being 

 carried on, and the extreme fire risk is considered prohibitive. Lop- 

 ping is, however, essential with any of the three methods in use, as even 

 a broadcast btim cannot be depended on to destroy tinlopped tops 

 satisfactorily. The conditions for which the three methods are suited 

 are as foUows : 



"Brush piling is essential wherever seed trees are reserved, or a 

 selection system of marking is employed. It is the most thorough 

 of the three methods and also the most expensive, the cost varying with 

 the region. The following examples will serve to give some idea of 

 what can be expected under varying conditions : 



"On the A.C.M. Company's sale, on the Bitterroot Forest in Mon- 

 tana, from which 37,000,000 feet of Western yeUow pine was cut, under 

 the selection system, the actual cost of piling brush was 42.1c. per M. 

 feet B.M., and the cost of burning was 6.7c. per M. feet B.M., or a total 

 of 48.8c. This was in the yellow pine type. 



"On the Eureka Lumber Cornpany's sale, on the Blackfeet Forest 



in Montana, the actual cost of piling was 42c. per M. feet B.M. with the 



cost of burning unknown. This was in the western larch-Douglas fir 



type. 



*•# 

 "On the Kootenai Forest in Montana, the average cost of brush 



piling has been estimated by the Supervisor at 250. per M. feet B.M. 



"On the Minnesota Forest in Minnesota, where extensive cuttings 

 have been conducted in eastern white pine and Norway pine, the piling 

 of the brush has been contracted for at 250. per M. feet B.M., and the 

 burning at 6c. per M. feet B.M. The actual cost of piling the brush 

 is estimated at i8c. 



"Wherever possible we consider it advisable to permit some cheaper 

 method of brush disposal. These cheaper methods, however, have not 

 been thoroughly tried out, and our cost data is less accurate. The piling 

 of the brush in windrows is applicable in cases of clean cutting in strips 

 or with reserved blocks or groups of seed trees, particularly in steep 

 country. It entails a minimum of extra labor to the operator, as, in 

 the ordinary process of skidding in steep country, the swampers usually 

 leave the brush in fairly satisfactory windrows in making the skidding 

 trails. It has the advantage in some cases of not exposing the mineral 

 soil over the whole area and kills unmerchantable weed trees, about 

 which the_slash may be piled. It is less thorough, however, than brush 



