PRODUCTION OF LUMBER-, LATH, AND SHINGLES. 
25 
BIRCH. 
Two species furnish the bulk of the birch lumber produced, but 
these are seldom separated in the trade. Yellow birch (Betula 
lutea) is the principal source of lumber in New England, New York, 
and the Lake States, while sweet (or cherry) birch (Betula lento) 
is the principal species cut in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 
northern New England paper birch (Betula papyrifera) , often 
called canoe or white birch, is the principal source of material for 
spools, toothpicks, and novelties and some is cut into lumber. 
Eiver (or red) birch (Betula nigra) is poorer in color and figure 
than the other birches, but is sometimes cut for lumber in the 
Southern States. In the lumber trade " red birch " means lumber 
cut from the heartwood of yellow or sweet birch. 
Western birch (Betula occidentaJis) is sawed into lumber to a 
minor extent on the Pacific coast. 
White (or gray) birch (Betula populifolia) is a small timber tree 
in New England used for minor purposes. 
Table 18. — Reported production of birch lumber, 1915. 
[Computed total production in United States, 415,000 M feet b. m.] 
State. 
Principal species cut. 
Number 
of active 
mills 
report- 
ing. 
Quantity 
reported, 
Mfeet 
b. m. 
Per 
cent. 
Average 
value per 
Mfeet 
f. o. b. 
mill. 
United States 
2,197 
355, 328 
100.0 
$16. 52 
Yellow 
247 
178 
240 
211 
420 
111 
115 
276 
399 
161, 853 
56, 869 
27, 352 
27, 138 
20, 949 
17,715 
13, 629 
11, 771 
18, 052 
45.6 
16.0 
7.7 
7.6 
5.9 
5.0 
3.8 
3.3 
5.1 
16.77 
do.. 
17.11 
Vermont... 
do. 
16.09 
Yellow and paper 
16.42 
Yellow 
16.23 
West Virginia 
Sweet 
16.51 
Yellow 
15.94 
Sweet 
15.73 
All other States (see Summary, 
p. 40). 
LARCH. 
The term " larch " is here used to cover two closely related and 
similar species, tamarack (Larix laricina), cut in the Northern States 
from Minnesota to Maine, and western larch (Larix occidentalis) , cut 
in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Although sold for 
less at the mill, the lumber of the latter is more valuable than tama- 
rack, because the tree is much larger and the wood has more strength 
and figure and better finishing properties. 
