62 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN THE ADIRONDACKS. 
standard each, or on 1,000 acres, 250 standards. At 40 cents per 
standard the stumpage value of the timber would amount to $100. 
It is the custom at present to leave the skids in the woods (Pl. XIX, 
figs. 1 and 2), in which case the owner loses not only the stumpage 
value of the timber thus wasted, but also the advantage of future 
increment which the trees would take on, if left standing. It is esti- 
mated from figures obtained in connection with the study of the 
Spruce mentioned on page 40 that these trees would in 25 years 
grow 4 inches in diameter. The trees yield at the present about one- 
fourth standard each, but, if left standing 25 years, would yield not 
less than 0.6 standard each; 1,000 trees would then yield at the end of 
25 years 600 standards. By cutting them now for lumbering purposes 
and leaving them in the woods, the owner is losing not only the present 
value of the trees, but also the increment, which in 25 years would 
amount to 350 standards—the difference between the present yield, 250 
standards, and 600 standards, the yield in 25 years. 
LOSS IN BUILDING ROADS. 
There has been a prevailing impression-among lumbermen that the 
foresters propose to lay out roads themselves. A good lumberman can 
lay out his roads as well as a forester, and better in most cases, 
because he has had more experience in the particular locality in ques- 
tion. But all the contractors and foremen are not good lumbermen, 
and the laying out of the roads varies considerably in different lumber 
jobs. It is of advantage to the contractor to have his roads few and 
short, because he has to pay the cost of cutting them and breaking them 
out in winter. The owner benefits by having as few roads as possible, 
because each one means so much cleared land and so mueh timber cut 
down, which in the case of valuable hardwoods is wasted. Some con- 
tractors cut up the woods with many more roads than are necessary, 
thereby shortening the distance for skidding logs, but making necessary 
a large number of small instead of a small number of large skidways. 
The larger the number of roads the greater the number of seed trees 
which are cut down, and the larger the number of skidways the greater 
the number of trees needed for skids. A considerable amount of small 
timber is always used to level the roads, build bridges, ete. (Pl. X VIII, 
fig. 2). Spruce is the easiest timber to handle and is always attacked 
for this purpose, except in swamps, where there is usually an abun- 
dance of Balsam near at hand. As a result, the luambermen cut many 
seed trees and much young growing timber where crooked and unsound 
hardwoods would answer the purpose equally well. It is impossible to 
draw a sharp line and absolutely prevent the use of Spruce for roads, 
for, occasionally, it is not practicable to use anything else. But in 
most cases it is entirely feasible to use some other material. The 
experiment of compelling the contractor to use hardwoods for leveling 
roads has been tried with entire success in New Hampshire, where it 
_ is much less pJentiful than in the Adirondacks. 
