large 



The /limber of cubic feet per thousand board feet in small logs constitutes 

 one of the worst defects of log rules and militates against the use of young 

 forests. The incongruity is so neatly hidden that its existence is seldom 

 recognized and compensated for by a higher price per thousand feet Then too*, 

 a shrewd buyer may assume that the extra wood is part of the overrun bonus to 

 which he should be entitled* The practical effect of the inconsistency,, how- 

 ever p is that independent loggers leave small trees and logs in the woods 

 because their board-foot scale is so low that they furnish no profit a A large 

 waste of small timber results where stumpage is cheap and clear cutting is 

 practiced 



An advantage to Log Haulers 



Reasons for adopting the cubic foot extend into businesses associated with 

 the timber industry Those who haul logs (steamship lines,, railroad s s 

 motor truckers) will probably agree that cubical content provides a better 

 base for rates than a thousand board feet log scale There is precedent in 

 this respect o Many steamship lines on the Pacific Coast have successfully 

 used the Brereton rule for several years in determining the contents of log 

 cargos The Brereton rule^ printed in "The Practical Lumberman 11 (see the 

 bibliography on the last page) 5 is essentially a cubic-foot rule a 



Railroad rates for logs are occasionally on a carload basis though usually 

 on a thousand-feet-log-scale basis ^ In either case the rate per carload or 

 per thousand feet depends primarily on weight© Railroads haul tonnage „ If 

 it is worth 30 cents a ton to haul logs between two points P and a thousand 

 feet of logs as ascertained by tests averages four tons in weighty the rate 

 becomes $i»20 per thousand board feet© Though the rate books quote figures 

 on a per-thousand-feet basis 9 somewhere among the calculations is the fact 

 that logs average so much weight per thousand board feet and it is worth 

 so much per ton to haul them 



Cubic volume is not a perfect criterion of weighty quite true<, In many 

 species^ small logs contain high percentages of the heavy sapwoodo Also 5 

 butt logs are often heavier than average 8 Though these variations occur 9 

 the basic fact exists that cubic volume is a better expression of weight 

 than board-foot volumes e 



As was shown previously (figure 3)'j small logs contain more wood per 

 thousand board feet and,, of course^, they weigh more Since they weigh 

 more they are hauled to market cheaper because^ as mentioned previously,, 

 the rate is determined on the basis of weight and then converted to thousand 

 board feet log scale 3 



An Advanta ge to Emp loyees 



In many places^ the job of making trees into logs is on a piece-work basis ? 

 the earnings of employees depending on their output Though different systems 

 are in effect 5 it is common practice to pay a flat rate per thousand feet 

 log scale for logs produced Tests show that if outputs were measured in 

 cubic feet^, the results would be more equitable to employee and employer alike 



