FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 21 5 



timber there is so much debris left, and it lies so much off the ground, 

 that the necessity for lopping branches is almost as great as it is in soft- 

 woods. The photographs illustrate these various conditions to some extent. 



The national government in most of its timber sales requires the brush 

 to be piled and later to be burned. In certain arid regions where there 

 is comparatively little danger from fire they lop the branches and leave 

 them scattered over the ground. There is a twofold purpose in this. When- 

 ever the brush is left lying on the ground it has a tendency to retain a little 

 moisture. This moisture aids the seeds to germinate and it is thus hoped 

 to obtain better reproduction by leaving the brush upon the ground. It 

 aids somewhat in preventing trampling by stock and wherever there is a 

 tendency to erosion it serves as a protection. 



In the case of a new regulation of this kind it is natural to expect that 

 among timber operators there would be some opposition. Inquiry among 

 these, however, shows a general desire to carry out the provisions of the 

 law and readiness to appreciate the good results which arise from it. To 

 owners of forest land the ends to be gained are matters of personal financial 

 interest. Men who take lumbering jobs and forest owners who pay no 

 regard to considerations affecting the future of their property could not, 

 of course, be expected to show the same interest. Here the value of legal 

 regulation comes in to protect the interests of the community, of the future 

 and of the owners. 



The first objection to such a law naturally arises from the additional 

 expense involved in carrying out its provisions. This, however, has been 

 found to be small. Three cents per standard and ten cents per cord of 

 pulpwood have been found to be representative figures in normal circum- 

 stances, the larger costs reported from some quarters resulting from the fact 

 either that the timber was very small or that the lopping was not done until 

 after the timber was cut and hauled away, leaving the tops hard to get at. 



The amount of wood saved varies greatly with the nature of the opera- 

 tion and there are various opinions as to the saving made in guttering and 

 skidding. One operator, estimating the cost of lopping at an average cf 

 two and one-half cents per standard, remarks that to offset this he was able 

 to run a skidding crew about one man less to each team, and also occasion- 

 ally got a log that would otherwise be left. The actual additional cost 



