16 WESTERN YELLOW PINE IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. 
In Arizona and New Mexico considerable losses occur through the 
bluing of the sapwood of saw logs left in the woods during wet 
weather. There are two ways to prevent this—one, to take the logs 
to the mill immediately, which is the best way; the other, to separate 
the logs so that the ends will be exposed to the air. Yet if logs are _ 
left for a few months in the woods during wet weather there is 
always likelihood of serious bluing, and in dry weather of season 
checks. Lumbermen speak of losing from one-fourth to one-third of 
their total cut of western yellow pine through defect, but this is 
certainly an exaggeration. Three large operators place the average 
loss through red rot at 20 per cent on the Coconino Forest, 25 per cent 
on the Zuni Forest, and from 5 to 10 per cent on a land grant in 
northern New Mexico. On an area of 80 acres in the Tusayan 
National Forest, bearing some very overmature timber, the total loss 
through defect and breakage, including unsound logs left in the 
woods, was 12.8 per cent. On a section in the Coconino National 
Forest the stand amounted to 4,009,180 feet board measure. The cull 
logs left in the Forest totaled 278,000 feet, and the cull deducted on 
logs hauled to the mill was 271,488 feet. The total loss through 
defect. on the section, therefore, was 549,488 feet, or 13 per cent. 
Probably from 2 to 15 per cent is a fair amount to allow for loss, with 
a mean of from 5 to 8 per cent. In general, the timber on south slopes 
appears to be more defective than that on north slopes. 
Pin rot in the form of spots one-eighth to one-fourth inch or more 
in diameter usually indicates serious interior rot. Ground or stem 
rot seldom extends more than from 4 to 6 feet above the ground. 
Usually it can be eliminated by butting a log 4 feet in length. 
In October, 1910, Dr. Hedgcock tentatively identified the following 
fungi in a timber sale on the Tusayan National Forest: Fomes 
pinicola, Trametes pini, Lentinus lépedius, a genus of Hydnum, 
Polystictus abietinus, and Fomes officinales. 
Fortunately, the dry climate of the Southwest retards decay, but 
defective trees which are left in the woods because they are too costly 
to log are a menace to the sound trees, and may cause considerable 
financial loss in the future through the spread of the fungus. 
DROUGHT. 
While the extensive root system of western yellow pine enables it 
to withstand the seasonable dry weather, many trees succumb to 
the periodic droughts which occur about once in every decade. In a 
sale of approximately 30,000,000 feet of timber on the Coconino 
National Forest, fully 10 per cent of the standing trees were dead, the 
result largely of unfavorable moisture conditions. Lack of moisture 
undoubtedly weakens the vitality of western yellow pine so that it 
can not withstand the ordinary insect and fungus attacks. Seedlings 



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