20 



THE FORESTS OF ALASKA. 



Table 4.— Diameter growth of white oirch as shoivn l)y ring counts on cord 



wood, with averages. 



Diameter 



outside 



bark. 



Rings. 



Diameter 

 outside 

 bark. 



Rings. 



Diameter 

 outside 

 bark. 



Rings. 



Inches. 

 5.0 



10.0 

 8.0 

 8.0 

 5.5 



10.0 



Number. 



60 

 115 



90 

 110 



75 

 100 



Inches. 

 6.5 

 7.0 

 7.5 

 5.5 

 9.0 

 7.5 



Number. 

 80 

 70 

 75 

 75 

 115 

 90 



Inches. 

 9.0 

 10.0 

 10.0 



Number. 

 85 

 95 

 95 



7.9 



89 



Considering the short growing season, these figures show a very 

 satisfactory rate of growth for white birch, 1 inch in diameter in 

 11.3 years, and under the same conditions an exceedingly rapid 

 growth for white spruce. 



Table 5 was made from measurements on white birch 4-foot cord 

 wood in the yard of the Northern Commercial Company at Fair- 

 banks. 



Table 5. — Diameter growth of ivhite oirch as shown uy ring counts on cord 



wood, with averages. . 



Diameter 





Diameter 





Diameter 





Diameter 





outside 



Rings. 



outside 



Rings. 



outside 



Rings. 



outside 



Rings. 



bark. 





bark. 





bark. 





bark. 





Inches. 



Number. 



Inches. 



Number. 



Inches. 



Number. 



Inches. 



Number. 



4.75 



70 



4.50 



60 



5.00 



70 



6.50 



70 



7.00 



60 



4.25 



60 



6.50 



70 



5.50 



100 



4.25 



50 



5.50 



• 100 



7.00 



80 



4.25 



70 



5.00 



60 



7.50 



90 



8.00 



90 



5.50 



60 



6.00 



70 



5.75 



90 



5.50 



60 











7.00 



80 



6.25 



70 



5.00 



70 



5.84 



73 



4.00 



60 



6.50 



65 



9.00 



95 







The rings were very difficult to count and in only a few cases was 

 it possible to count them closer than to the nearest ten. Many sticks 

 were examined and it is thought the figures given are a fair average 

 for white birch in the vicinity of Fairbanks. This gives 12.5 years 

 per inch of diameter. 



UTILIZATION. 



The bulk of the timber cut from the interior forests is for firewood. 

 Most of it is handled without machinery. It is cut by ax into 4- foot 

 lengths and piled by hand in long ricks. Yet, on the other hand, 

 much of the firewood burned in Fairbanks is floated down the river 

 in the log, and subsequently cut up into stove sizes by a small circu- 

 lar saw attached to a sled or 1 -horse wagon and operated by a gaso- 

 line engine. Horses are used in banking logs for the sawmills, and 

 the other mill operations are carried on in the usual manner. The 

 logs for the Fairbanks mills are driven 75 to 150 miles from the 



