758 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXX, No. 8 
Merchantable stands— Comparatively open stands 
with clear boles, little undergrowth except grass and 
weeds, or tree reproduction less than 1 foot high, 
with few standing snags and little litter or debris. 
Trees not badly scarred at their bases, nor covered 
with dry moss or pitch. In mixed types, stands 
composed largely of the more fire resistant species 
of the mixture. In all-aged stands, those where 
older trees largely predominate. No deep con¬ 
tinuous layer of duff. Stands on sheltered flats and 
on moist sites which in other situations might fall 
in a more hazardous class. 
AVERAGE RISK 
Reproduction .—Stands of fair density, with a 
fairly continuous cover of light herbage and scattered 
brush, with only a moderate amount of scattered 
debris, or with considerable litter entirely shaded 
and kept from drying out by a dense crown cover. 
Such stands on moist flats might be classed as low 
risk, and on steep slopes exposed to drying winds 
as high risk. 
Pole stands .—Larger sizes, with some under¬ 
growth and debris, or w T ith average amount of dry 
lower branches. Smaller sizes, with comparatively 
little, or only patchy, inflammable ground cover. 
Merchantable stands .—Stands with a fair amount 
of undergrowth, including tree reproduction, and 
with more or less debris, scattered standing snags, 
and more moss, low crowns, or dry lower branches. 
Stands with average proportions of the more in¬ 
flammable species. 
HIGH RISK 
Reproduction .—Either open or dense stands, with 
heavy grass, dry during the fire season, or a con¬ 
tinuous cover of brush and debris to carry fire. 
Stands on steep slopes and other sites exposed to 
drying winds. An extreme example of a “high 
risk” stand of reproduction or poles is found in the 
“jack-straw” burns common in many regions. 
Pole stands .—The larger sizes, where there are 
large amounts of inflammable ground cover and 
debris, moss on stems, low inflammable crowns, 
standing snags, or on steep exposed sites. In mixed 
stands those with larger proportions of the less re¬ 
sistant species. The smaller poles, w T here there 
is a continuous cover of brush or inflammable 
debris, even if not especially great in quantity. 
Stands on steep slopes or most exposed situations, 
which on other sites might fall into the “average 
risk” class. 
Merchantable stands .—Stands with large amounts 
of inflammable undergrowth or debris (such as 
logging slash), large numbers of standing snags, 
bases of trees badly fire-scarred, boles covered with 
dry branches or much dry moss or resinous bark. 
Stands with somewhat less inflammable material, 
where especially exposed to drying winds or on steep 
slopes. In mixed stands, those where the least 
resistant species are represented in large numbers; 
in all aged stands, those with a large proportion of 
the younger ages. Stands with a deep layer of duff 
or peat which dries out during the fire season. 
DESTRUCTIBLE VALUES 
Values should be tabulated as indi¬ 
cated, for individual stands. These 
values represent what would be lost 
in case of total destruction by fire, and 
include values of timber, both mer¬ 
chantable and young growth, of the 
forest capital (not including soil 
productivity), where that is involved, 
and of intangibles such as watershed 
protection. Forage value is omitted, 
unless it can be considered to be in¬ 
cluded in the figures given for the other 
values, for the reason already men¬ 
tioned, viz, that destructible value of 
forage is generally so insignificant in 
comparison with the other values as 
to be less than the probable error in 
estimating the others. For the sake 
of simplifying calculations, therefore, 
it is left out. 
In order that such values can be 
easily gotten at, and to insure that the 
values given shall be comparable as 
between different forest units and 
between different regions, and also in 
order that figures on damage during a 
series of years may be computed on 
the same basis and may therefore be 
possible of comparison—which is not 
the case with the records hitherto 
collected—it seems extremely desirable 
to establish standards, to be used 
uniformly, without the necessity of 
leaving very much to the individual 
judgments or guesses of reporting 
officers. 
These standards should be as simple 
as is consistent with the purpose for 
which they are to be used, namely, 
to show relative values and relative 
damages as between stands of different 
species, of different ages, and in different 
regions. Moreover, they should be in 
such form as to enable the field men 
to work the values out without math¬ 
ematical formulae. With these ideas 
in mind, standard values were worked 
out as outlined below. 
VALUES OF MERCHANTABLE TIMBER 
Merchantable timber, i.e., timber of 
merchantable size in “ young mer¬ 
chantable,” “mature,” and “all-age” 
stands, should be valued on the basis 
of its species and volume, at fixed 
stumpage rates. For reasons already 
discussed, it seems advisable to use 
uniform rates for one species through¬ 
out a given region The values sug¬ 
gested have been given in Table VIII. 
Such scattered trees of merchantable 
size as may be found in “reproduction” 
and “pole” stands should not be given 
a timber value, because they generally 
would not be utilized for timber. No 
additional allowance is made for the 
capital value of merchantable stands, 
because, in general, natural reproduc¬ 
tion will follow the destruction of such 
stands, if further fires and grazing are 
kept out. No value will be put on the 
timber, as such, in scrubby high- 
altitude subalpine stands that never 
will be utilized for timber production. 
Their value consists entirely of the 
intangible values for watershed pro¬ 
tection and the like, and for mature 
stands will be the same as given in 
Table XVII for “large poles.” 
