The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-27
AGRICULTURE.
Fire Killed Timber.

Although 1t has been known Tor num-
Der of years that fre-killed timber has
considerable value in railroad and mining
operations in Colorado, it has been
brought out only recently by the forest
service that wide number of uses are
open for this timber and that in certain
respects 1T has actual advantages over
green wood.
These facts are deduced from a study
of conditions on the Pixies Peak forest re-
serve, where the ravages of fire have been
particularly widespread and destructive.
In many instances the burned timber Is
the only kind available at a particular
point for example, In proximity to
mine or a spur Of railroad, so for TIM
bers and ties the dead material has been
used for many years-fifteen years at
Palmer Lake seven years at Florissant
for railroad ties, and longer than this for
mine timbers. Three years ago ii was
first used for box boards and has proved
excellent In May, 1905. there was a sale
for telephone poles.
The species used are red fir, yellow pine
lodgepole pine, timber pine. range pine,
pinion Engelmann spruce, and blue
spruce. OF these, the pines, red fir and
Engelmann spruce furnish the bulk OF
the material. Time elapsed since burn
ing seems to make no great dinerence
in the value of the wood except that
when serious checking results 1t loses its
value for box purposes. The timber used
has been burned all the way from three
to fifty-f1ve years.
The amount of this timber which has
been used is very considerable There
has been one sale from the reserve for
box boards and one for telephone poles,
but the three main uses continue to be
for mine tlmbers, railroad ties and fire
wood.
Red fir is preferred for railroad ties
then yellow pine, timber pine, and range
pine. White pine has been objected to
because of Its lack of durability, but 1t is
now taken In many places. At Rose
mont, Colo, burned timber of all Kinds
is made into ties, some of the material
having been burned fifty years ago IL
is asserted that dry ties last as long as
greg les and In many cases longer. On
the Cripple Creek short line" they were
more satisfactory than green pine tiSs
from Texas. Dry ties hold spike well.
and a tie plate does not cut into the
wood so seriously as 1t does In the case OF
a green tie. Engelmann spruce Is as
good as other species as far as mechani-
cal wear Is concerned but it decays
much quicker and so should be given
preservative treatment.
Burned timber was first used for boxes
by the Denver Crate and Box company
in February. 1903. the species used being
Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine,
with some red fir and Timber pine. The
material used had been burned from one
and one-half to four years. The Engel-
mann spruce was excellent and the lodge
pole pine also gave good results. The
fire seasoning had driven the odor out
of the pine so that 1t could be used
for packing crackers and biscuits. Also.
on account of the perfect seasoning the
boxes remained tight when put up and,
therefore, sold better than green boxes.
For mine timbers all species are used,
IL of the requisite size. Dry timber is
preferred because of its lightness. dura-
bility, and stiffness, all principally due
to its better seasoning.
For many purposes fire-killed timber
should be preferred to green timber be-
cause It is so well seasoned. This sea-
soning makes 1t more durable than green
timber, and also makes II lighter, so that
its cost of transportation is appreciably
less, and II Is, therefore, available, not
only for numerous local uses but for ship
ping long distances. Actual experience
with the fre-killed timber proves that
its utilization should be source OF profit
to the reserve.