


THE AIR SEASONING OF WESTERN SOFTWOOD LUMBER 51 
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT 
The major problems for the region as a whole briefly stated are: 
(1) The reduction of blue stain, (2) the elimination as far as prac- 
ticable of shrinkage defects, (3) faster rate of drying during the 
winter season, particularly in the lower part of the pile, and (4) 
lower final moisture contents in the inactive drying season. Sug- 
gestions for improvement of the general air-seasoning methods to 
meet these broad regional problems are as follows: 
Sanitary measures and more attention to the reduction of vegeta- 
tion in the yard are common needs. 
The use of 4-foot or wider spacing between the piles at the sides 
should be more generally adopted. 
All wood should be piled one layer to the course, other methods 
of pile construction more effective than double piling being em- 
ployed to avoid excessively rapid drying. 
Special crossers, 4 inches in width, should be utilized in piling 
8-inch and wider stock of No. 3 common-and-better pine and of No. 2 
common-and-better in other woods. The special crossers employed in 
this region are usually 2 inches thick, but special crossers 1 inch in 
thickness should be used on white fir and Douglas fir, especially in the 
upper half of the pile. 
More open construction in the lower section of the lumber pile is a 
primary requisite for the region. This should be obtained by such 
methods as double stickers, horizontal openings at intervals, short 
chimneys in separate-width stock, and the flared chimney with 
random widths. 
The spacing between boards in a course should be at least 4 inches 
for separate widths and 4/4 random-width stock; a minimum of 5 
inches is advisable for 5/4 and thicker mixed widths. 
Last, but of real importance, care in the actual construction of the 
individual pile is essential. 
REDWOOD REGION 
GENERAL CONDITIONS 
The great bulk of production in the redwood region is concentrated 
within a comparatively narrow strip along the northern coast of 
California. Although weather conditions encountered at sea-level 
plants differ somewhat from those at yards located farther inland, 
about the same climatic characteristics prevail throughout the region. 
High atmospheric humidities are present at all seasons of the year 
but the temperature extremes are confined within a small range. 
The most active drying period is from May to October, but through- 
out the rest of the year the mean monthly temperature is always 
above 45° F. Such conditions, which are shown graphically in Fig- 
ure 9, are conducive to relatively slow seasoning. But as a conse- 
quence, liability to depreciation from shrinkage defects is small. 
Also some drying is possible at all times of the year. _ 
Redwood, of course, predominates in the cut of this region, ac- 
counting for more than 80 per cent of the production. Douglas fir 
is the only other wood of importance, the combined cut of white fir, 
spruce, and hemlock constituting less than 3 per cent of the total. 
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