740 
Journal of Agricultural Research y 0 i. xxx, No. 8 
proper methods have been worked put. 
However, costs are about the only 
tangible basis we have for valuing 
young stands. 
In view of the many intangible 
values which can not be expressed in 
money, it seems fairly reasonable to 
use cost value for young growth as 
representing not only its value as 
potential timber but also the other 
forest values. This is on the theory 
that if the forest cover is to be main¬ 
tained on a given site, it is worth at 
least what it would cost to put it 
there—if not for its timber value, then 
for other purposes, such as protection 
of watersheds. It seems quite possible 
that a portion of our Rocky Mountain 
forests will never yield enough timber 
to repay the costs of establishment and 
administration, unless timber values 
rise much higher than it seems reason¬ 
able to suppose. But because of their 
other values, which are of even greater 
importance, they will always be pro¬ 
tected and maintained as forest. Cost 
of establishment as used here is not 
taken to mean the cost of growing the 
stand to maturity, or even to the age 
of that destroyed, but is merely the 
cost of getting young growth estab¬ 
lished. For use in figuring past losses, 
"general values for the different types 
and regions were worked out by the 
following arbitrary method. 3 
Costs of replanting were set, based 
in part on results of planting opera¬ 
tions on the national forests during a 
number of pre-war years, but mostly 
on arbitrary estimates of what re¬ 
planting should cost if done immedi¬ 
ately after a burn, and assuming-that 
the proper technique had been devel¬ 
oped (Table IX). 
It was assumed that, taken by and 
large, one-half of the reproduction 
areas destroyed by fire will restock 
naturally within an average period of 
10 years, and one-half not at all. 
Exceptions are lodgepole pine, jack pine, 
and the woodland types, of which it 
was assumed three-fourths will restock 
within 10 years and the rest not at 
all. Other exceptions are the western 
yellow pine type in the Great Basin 
and in the Southwest, and the scat¬ 
tered timber in the brush and grass 
types of all regions, of which it was 
assumed that but one-fourth will re¬ 
stock within 10 years. 
The cost of restocking was then 
taken to be the cost of planting, plus 
compound interest at 3 per cent for 10 
years. In case of destruction of young 
growth which will not restock natur¬ 
ally, the loss will be this figure; where 
natural restocking will take place the 
loss will be merely the 10 years' inter¬ 
est. This “rule-of-thumb” method 
gives the following results, “A” being 
area in acres and “C” the cost of 
planting per acre: 
Where the entire area will restock natur¬ 
ally___ 0.3439 AC, or 0.35 AC. 
Where three-fourths of the area will restock 
naturally.!_____5939 AC, or 0.60 AC. 
Where one-half of the area will restock 
naturally_ .8439 AC, or 0.85 AC. 
Where one-fourth of the area will restock 
naturally.. 1.0939 AC, or 1.10 AC. 
It is admitted that this method is 
not entirely scientific, but it is ex¬ 
pected to give, about as good a basis 
for valuing relative damage which has 
occurred over considerable areas and 
periods as we can get with the data 
available at present. 
With the data described above 
(Tables VII, VIII, IX), the average 
monetary damage per acre was com¬ 
puted for the different types of forest 
and other cover within the several 
regions. (Table X.) 
Table IX.— Assumed costs of replanting , used as basis for estimating damage to 
young growth 
Forest type 
Cost per acre to restock ° 
Western yellow pine, in¬ 
cluding sugar pine 
mixtures, etc. 
Douglas fir, including 
western larch. 
White pine (W. and E.). 
Lodgepole pine.. ___ 
$6 (3), $7 (2), $8.5(f (11), $10 (1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), $12 (12, 13, 16), $15 (14, 15, 17, 
18,19,20). 
$6 (2), $7.50 (5, 6), $8 (3), $10 (1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16), $12 (18, 19, 20), $15 (14, 
15), $20 (17). 
$5 (2), $6 (3), $6 (21). Norway pine, $6 (21). 
$8 (2, 3, 6), $10 (1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15). 
$10 (21). 
$5.50 (3), $6 (2), $6.50 (1, 9, 10), $8 (4, 7, 8), $10 (12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20). 
'$6(2,3, 21), $7.50 (4, 5, 6, 7, 8), $8 (16). 
$6 (2, 3), $8 (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16), $10 (1, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15). 
$5 (6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20). 
Jack pine_ 
Spruce___ 
Firs_ 
Subalpine_ ... 
Woodland_ 
° Regions in parentheses. 
3 A method for valuing young growth for use in making fire plans and in fire reports in the future is 
outlined in the discussion (pp. 759-760) on “Destructible values.” 
