8 BULLETIN 1298, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
mainly from spores, the most active infection period must coincide 
with the time of most active production of fruit Dodies. In the more 
northern regions this occurs during the rainy fall months. In low, 
dense woods it may also occur during the summer. Fruit-body pro- 
duction in the spring months is not so abundant, but at the same 
time these months are usually so wet that timber can not be seasoned 
before the active infection period sets in. 
REMOVAL OF BARK 
Wherever feasible, removal of the bark from pulp wood at pro- 
duction points is strongly recommended. This greatly hastens the 
seasoning and also prevents insect attack. The bark of hemlock is 
sometimes removed for use in tanning. This should be encouraged. 
METHOD OF PILING 
Timber should never be left lying directly on the ground, for woods 
soil harbors a great variety of fungi, including many wood destroyers. 
It should be placed on log skids, with the piles separated and prefer- 
ably built lengthwise to the prevailing winds. An open place on a 
well-drained slope should be selected wherever possible. Free circu- 
lation of the air is the prime consideration. As timber in the woods 
is much more subject to infection from slash and other rotting debris 
usually left by the logger, and as even under the best storage condi- 
tions available in the woods it can be better handled at the mill, 
it should be shipped as soon as possible. 
STORING OF PULP WOOD AT THE MILL 
REMOVAL OF BARK 
If bark is not removed in the woods it is desirable, wherever feasi- 
ble, that it be taken off at the mill before piling. Barked wood dries 
more rapidly and is less susceptible to insect and fungous attack than 
wood with the bark on. There is a market for hemlock bark, and 
its sale may offset the cost of removal. 
SEPARATION OF WOOD 
Separation of highly perishable species, such as poplar, balsam, 
and white fir, from the more durable woods may be considered desir- 
able by some operators. In deciding this point, however, it should be 
kept clearly in mind that improved storage conditions wiU go far 
toward eliminating deterioration in mixed piles. The cost of sepa- 
ration will necessarily be considerable, and this item must, of course, 
be warranted by the. returns. 
Separation of badly infected shipments (PI. Ill, fig. 3) from soimd 
wood is strongly recommended. Although it is not economically 
feasible to pick out all rotten sticks from shipments of otherwise 
sound material, something can be done at tunes in this direction by 
a diligent yard crew. Badly infected shipments should always be 
segregated in an allotted portion of the yard for quick utilization. 
This precaution is important. Deterioration in such wood is propor- 
tionately much greater than in sound or slightly infected stock. If it is 
intermixed with sound wood it serves as a rapid and vigorous source of 
inft ction to the better material. 
