54 BULLETIX 1402, TJ. S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICrLTUKE 
INTEXSITY OF CUTTING 
Seed trees should be left for restocking the ground and as insur- 
ance against fire. Cutting to a diameter limit of 20 inches for all 
species should be practiced, involving an average investment of 
about 1.000 board feet per acre. On areas where insufficient small 
seed trees are jDresent. additional larger trees should be left, at the 
rate of one per acre, and with an average total investment in such 
instances of usually not more than 1.500 board feet per acre. 
COST 
An attempt has been made to determine the additional costs 
involved in ptitting into effect the requirements outlined above. 
It appears that most of the steps proposed are neither revolutionary 
in character nor costly of application, and are justified in large 
measure by what good business j^ractice demands. 
The estimated cost (based on the experience of years) of fire pro- 
tection measures per thousand board feet cut is made up of several 
items, as follows : 
Partial disposal of slash on cleared lines $0. 10 to SO. 12 
Patrol diirmg and after logging .03 to .0.5 
Falling snags .02 to .03 
Clearing around donkey settings and other systematic measures 
of care with fire .02 to .03 
General protection measures .02 to .03 
Total .19 to .26 
Against this must be balanced an equal or greater operating saving 
if fires are excltided and the necessity of suppressing large fires is 
eliminated. 
Animal yarding on groimd suited to its use. is about 50 cents per 
thottsand feet cheaper than machine yarding, besides being less 
destructive to young growth and seed trees. Xo clear evidence 
points to the superior operating economy of the more destructive 
machine methods as compared with grotmd-leacl yarding, and in- 
deed on one operation studied the latter proved 11 per cent cheaper 
than the more destrttctive method of high-lead yarding. 
That small trees tip to at least 20 inches in diameter in the Cali- 
fornia pine region are usually handled at a distinct loss is indicated 
by various studies. Log making costs three times as much for small 
as for large trees : yarding from five to eight times ; sawing at least 
twice as much. Trees up to about 20 inches in diameter seldom 
pay the cost of manufacture, are urgently needed as seed trees on 
cut-over areas, and would form the nucleus of a second cut. 
THE PRACTICABILITY OF THE MEASURES PROPOSED 
It is worth repeating that each of the steps proposed is in use by 
some operators, and that there is nothing theoretical or impractical 
about the measures. They have been proved by experience. The 
question is simply one of carrying them out systematically and con- 
sistently, without the omission of some essential step. 
It seems fair to state as the major conclusion of this study, that 
the steps here proposed will work, that they can be carried out with 
slight changes in existing practice, and that they will involve but 
a trifling additional cost to operators. Whatever slight extra cost 
