26 BULLETIN 1437, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Alder is logged with horses; the small size of the timber and the 
small stand per acre make steam logging impractical. A crew 
usually consists of three to five men, any one of whom may work at 
the different steps in the operation. The timber is felled with either 
saw or ax and ground-skidded to the mill or loading landing, if the 
distance does not exceed three-eighths of a mile. For greater dis- 
tances wagons or auto trucks are resorted to, and the skidding dis- 
tance is not ordinarily more than 400 feet. The wagon or auto haul 
to the landing or possibly to the mill seldom exceeds 1 mile. Most of 
the mills, of course, are located long distances from the landings. 
The cost of moving the logs from the landings to the mills is dealt 
with under the heading " Transportation." 
Because of differences in the volume per acre, size of timber, char- 
acter of ground, and hauling distances, and because reliable cost 
records are not available, little more than approximations of logging 
costs can be given. For low and high costs per thousand feet 
these are: 
Low High 
Felling and bucking $2.50 $3.00 
Skidding, not to exceed three-eighths of a mile 1. 50 4. 00 
Hauling, not to exceed 1 mile ; 2. 00 3. 50 
6. 00 10. 50 
Utilization in the woods is fairly close. Most of the alder cut 
averages from 14 to 22 inches in diameter at the stump, but 10-inch 
trees are taken. Tops are utilized up to a 6-inch diameter. The logs 
are usually cut in 8, 10, and 12-foot lengths, largely 8-foot, with no 
allowance for trimming. It takes from 15 to 30 logs to make a 
thousand feet log scale. 
MILLING 
Most of the alder lumber is cut by small mills of the portable type, 
with a daily capacity of from 1,500 to 4,000 board feet. Bolting or 
short-log machines are occasionally used. Some of these mills are 
located in the timber; others are located centrally in alder regions, 
but at some distance from timber, transporting their log supply by 
railroad, water, or auto truck ; a few are operated by secondary wood- 
using factories, at a considerable distance from the timber. 
The usual equipment of an alder mill consists of a carriage with 
head blocks and set works, track, saw, power-transmission facilities, 
and in some cases a sawdust conveyor. A few of the mills are pro- 
vided with edgers. The saws, 42 to 50 inches in diameter and of the 
inserted-tooth type, cut a four-sixteenth-inch to five-sixteenth-inch 
kerf. Most of the carriages will accommodate 24-foot logs, but the 
logs as a rule no not exceed 12 feet in length. Logs for bolter mills 
seldom exceed 10 feet. Dead rolls may or may not be used for car- 
rying the lumber from the saw. 
The power for mills located near the timber is usually supplied 
by a steam or gasoline tractor. Where the supply of timber war- 
rants, a stationary engine and boiler are sometimes used. Some of 
these mills are operated with a 7 or 8 horsepower engine, an in- 
sufficient amount of power. They should have from 12 to 20 horse- 
power. Mills located in or near settlements, and so at points more 
