BED ALDER OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 39 
feet or more per acre, and that alder saw timber by that time will be 
worth $7 per thousand board feet on the stump, the gross value per 
acre in 50 years would be $175. It is not unreasonable to suppose, 
however, that stands 50 years of age, where they have been given 
some care, will yield 30,000 board feet per acre, and that stumpage 
by that time will have advanced to at least $10 per thousand feet, 
yielding a gross value of $300 an acre or more. 
The facts indicate that for many reasons red alder is a desirable 
tree to perpetuate as a forest type in the Pacific Xorthwest. The 
ease with which a crop is obtained naturally, its comparatively rapid 
growth and the short period required to produce merchantable tim- 
ber, its ability to grow on rather inferior sites where atmospheric 
conditions and soil moisture are favorable, its comparatively low fire 
risk, and, lastly, its undoubtedly increasing use and rising stumpage 
values all point to the desirability of keeping certain types of land 
permanently producing this species. 
BETTER UTILIZATION 
Present utilization of red alder is in the main satisfactory, in so 
far as methods of manufacture and use are considered that are ob- 
viously economically feasible. The care that some companies are 
already exercising, however, not alone in the woods but in the saw- 
mills and factories as well, indicates that still closer utilization is 
practicable. Wherever such improvement can be made it will assist 
materially in the perpetuation of the supply. 
Failure to cut low stumps and possibly to utilize all of the mer- 
chantable tops of trees is resulting in some waste. Stump heights 
range from 16 to 24 inches, depending on the character of ground and 
the cutting policy of individual companies. Even under the most 
unfavorable conditions a stump height of 16 inches seems to be ample, 
and in most instances a lower stump is entirely feasible. 
Utilization of the tree tops to a diameter less than 6 inches would 
hardly be profitable. At about this point the taper of the tree is ex- 
cessive and the quality of the timber becomes exceedingly poor. A 
larger diameter may be necessitated by the limby character of the top 
or because of the freight rates, on logs, which in many cases make 
8-foot logs more profitable than longer ones. Otherwise, a top larger 
than 6 inches may indicate needless waste. 
Because much of the alder lumber is cut in small mills, maintain- 
ing limited and ineffectively installed equipment, a certain amount 
is irregular in width and thickness. Wood-using factories can and 
do utilize lumber that is not up to specification, but the yield is natu- 
rally lower than normal. The use of circular saws by these small 
mills also results in waste, because of the wide kerf cut. However, 
this waste is unavoidable, for band saws in this type of mill are not 
practical. Waste in seasoning and storage of lumber is not excessive 
and much that occurs can be avoided with reasonable care. 
Although the study on which this bulletin is based did not in- 
clude a careful and systematic survey of wood waste in factories us- 
ing red alder lumber, incidental observations indicate that much of 
this has been eliminated in the majority of such factories, This is 
