one of the principal reasons why the larger class is 
valued higher. 
Large second-growth trees (22 to 40 inches 
d. b. h.) contain slightly more than a fifth of the 
total Douglas-fir volume. ‘These trees are rarely 
more than 150 to 175 years old and are fast-growing. 
Their wood is typically coarse-grained and of a 
reddish color that has given them the name ‘red 
fir.’ Of the total volume, 65 percent is in the 
Willamette River, north Oregon coast, south Ore- 
gon coast, and Umpqua River survey units, the 
result of fires that burned over large areas in all 
Considerable quantities 
of trees of this class are now being cut, particularly 
in the Willamette River unit, where a number of 
The principal prod- 
ucts manufactured are ties, dimension lumber, 
and common boards. 
Small second-growth trees (16 to 20 inches 
d. b. h.) contain about 5 percent of the total 
Douglas-fir volume. 
four units around 1800. 
small mills are in operation. 
These trees, usually not 
regarded by lumbermen as suitable for saw timber, 
are occasionally cut for sawlogs, poles, and piling, 
and fuel wood. 
WESTERN HEMLOCK, 
All factors considered, western hemlock is next in 
importance to Douglas-fir. Nearly a fifth of the 
total saw-timber volume of the region is western 
hemlock. More than three-quarters of this is in 
Western hemlock produces 
a wood having many good properties, but lacking 
the specialty qualities which bring high prices for 
Sitka spruce, western redcedar, and Port Orford 
white-cedar. It is of more extensive occurrence 
and more general use than these species. ‘The 
prejudice of consumers against eastern hemlock has 
been extended to western hemlock, despite the 
superiority of the western species, and has resulted 
in discrimination against western hemlock lumber 
in eastern and midwestern markets. The wood of 
this tree is light, straight-grained, fairly soft and 
easy to work, odorless when dry, and nonresinous. 
western Washington. 
It is used for common boards and dimension, box 
shook, and flooring; also extensively for paper pulp. 
Hemlock bark has a high tannin content, and there 
is a possibility that it will be used more extensively 
for tannin extraction. 
LSS) 
LSS) 
F 325549 
Figure 14.—Port Orford white-cedar, a very valuable species 
found only in southwestern Oregon and the extreme northwestern 
part of California. Principal products are battery separators, 
venetian blinds, and veneers. The volume of the existing stands 
totals about 7.2 billion board feet 
SITKA SPRUCE 
The wood of Sitka spruce is exceedingly valuable 
for special uses. It is comparatively light in weight, 
easy to work, tough, and nonresinous. During the 
World War it was used extensively for airplane con- 
struction. At present it is used principally for box 
