CHAPTER XXII 
FLOATING AND RAFTING 
Nearly every large stream in the forest regions of the United 
States has at some tune in its history served as a highway down 
which logs and Imnber have been floated to sawmills and market. 
It is still the more common method of transporting logs in the 
eastern part of the United States, although the use of logging 
railroads is increasing and, in many regions, they have superseded 
water transportation, because of the depletion of the timber 
supply near driveable streams, the extensive logging of non- 
buoyant species, and the increased value of stumpage. 
In the more recently developed timber sections of the Inland 
Empire and the Pacific Coast water transport early gained a 
foothold but is now of secondary importance, except where logs 
are brought to the shores of Puget Sound, and the Pacific Ocean 
or to the Columbia River, and then rafted and towed to the mill. 
In the Northwest only large streams are practicable for driving 
because of the diameter of the logs and the long lengths in 
which it is desirable to bring them from the forest. 
Logs may either be floated singly or rafted. The former 
method is practiced always on rough water and small streams, 
and whenever lawful on large ones; however, rafting is com- 
pulsory on navigable streams. 
Water transport is a cheap method of moving logs for long 
cUstances when a low expenditure is necessary for stream improve- 
ments and driving, and also for transporting logs out of a well- 
watered region where otherwise a large mileage of expensive 
logging railroad would have to be constructed to tap a trunk line. 
Water transport has the following disadvantages : 
(1) It is limited chiefly to logs which will float. Softwoods 
and hardwoods are often associated together in the forest and 
present market conditions make it profitable to remove some 
or all of the latter, which is often impossible with water trans- 
port. 
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