TIMBER VALUATION 39 



By it the cost of transporting the logs from the woods to the mill 

 or drivable streams has been reduced to the minimum because 

 the size of the load can be increased lo to 20 times. Average 

 costs for a Lake State operation w^re as follows in 1914: 



PerM 



Felling and bucking $1 .00 



Skidding 2 . 00 



Hauling to drivable stream , 2. 00 



Driving i .00 



Milling 3.00 



$g.oo 



The only step which is cheaper than in the woodlot region is the 

 felling and bucking. The large size of the timber is the factor 

 which decreases the cost. The transport of the logs to the mill 

 is more expensive because the distance is greater and the work is 

 done in two steps instead of merely one as in woodlot work. 

 Instead of using a skoot to haul the logs the Lake State practice 

 is to skid the logs into piles and then put them onto two sleds. 

 Where a railroad and steam skidders are employed costs can be 

 reduced if the size of the operation justifies the original outlay 

 for equipment. Sawing charges are likewise higher for the large 

 mill than for the portable but the former turns out, higher grade 

 material so that its use is justified where the timber is of medium 

 to large size. In fact the returns in the Lake States are usually 

 larger because a greater amount of higher grade timber is obtained. 

 As against an average mill run price of $18 per M for the portable 

 mill the large mill obtained in 1914 $25 per M for its output. 

 Hence, stumpage prices are higher in the Lake States. In fact 

 there is very little virgin white pine no matter how inaccessible 

 that can be purchased nowadays for less than $10 per M. 



The amount of work turned out per day also varies in the two 

 regions. In the woodlot area a crew of two men should fell and 

 buck sM board feet on the average while a day's work with the 

 larger pine is 8M feet. Expressed in terms of man hours it 

 takes 3 1 hours per M in the small pine of the woodlot region and 

 only 2I hours in the stands of old growth timber. Getting the 

 logs to the mill is naturally much cheaper in the woodlot region. 



