DRY-ROT OF INCENSE CEDAR. 51 
of the timber itself, but from the heavy infection of dry-rot in the 
mature and overmature trees, with the resulting high percentage of 
cull. Sound incense cedar is distinctly of high value and much 
sought after for special purposes, such as pencil slats, and in a lesser 
degree for cabinet material and interior finish. Wood not too badly 
decayed is of some value for posts and low-grade railroad ties. But 
the lumberman is naturally averse to handling a large quantity of 
unmerchantable material in order to secure a small percentage of a 
really valuable product. 
The first step in overcoming this objection must be the application 
of a careful scaling policy. 
SCALING. 
In order to handle incense cedar properly on a timber sale the 
outward indications of hidden defect should be thoroughly under- 
stood. A valuable index to the condition of the timber will be 
found in the presence of sporophores or shot-hole cups on the trees. 
When found, their apparent age should be carefully taken into 
account in determining the degree and extent of the dry-rot (see 
p. 10). Excellent clues as to how a decayed tree should best be 
bucked are contained in the occurrence of shot-hole cups or sporo- 
phores. Since heavy dry-rot almost invariably extends from the 
ground level to a varying height above the highest sporophore or 
shot-hole cup it would, of course, be a waste of labor to buck the 
tree again at any place between the stump height and the last- 
named point. 
The scaler should keep in mind the relation of wounds, particu- 
larly those caused by fire, to dry-rot in the tree. A large pocket of 
dry-rot occurring close to a healed wound, especially fire scars in 
the butt of the tree, usually diminishes in area as the height increases 
and ends in a point immediately above the termination of the healed 
fire scar it is following. For example, in case a butt log shows a 
large pocket of decay adjacent to a healed fire scar on its basal 
cross section, while the top cross section is absolutely sound, it is 
safe to assume that the decay will end about 6 feet from the base 
of the log, or in exceptional cases a length of 10 feet may be attained 
(see p. 44). 
Particular care should be used in scaling butt logs with an open 
fire scar at the base. As has been shown (see p. 44), dry-rot of any 
seriousness is rarely found in the dried-out wood around an open fire 
scar. The base of such a log is nearly always absolutely sound; 
the top may show the entire heartwood unmerchantable. It is 
quite possible, then, for the scaler to judge the decay as extending 
half way down the log from the top, giving the lower half full scale 
and judging the upper half unmerchantable. This procedure is 
