The Carlisle independent., 1907-10-24
FIRE KILLED TREES
THEY ARE NOT WORTHLESS AS
 IS GENERALLY SUPPOSED.
More ServiceabIe Than Green Timber, Says the Forestry Bureau--Are the Best for Mine
 Timbers.

quality of fire killed timber, and of the extent to which it is used, has been made by the forest service in number of the national forests in the southern Rocky mountain region. This brought out very strikingly, first, that sound dried timber is valuable, and, second, that though widely used in some localities, it is regarded as not worth using in others. The timber which was not being used was found to be fully as good as the other, and the only cause for rejecting it proved to be ignorance of it's true value.
 The area covered by the study was approximately 13,000,000 acres. On this area there is estimated to be 500,- 100000 feet of board measure of mer- stumpage. About 50 per cent. of this, per cent. of the total merchantable stumpage. Agout 50 per cent of this. especially of the larger dimensions, is fit for saw lumber, and all of it can be utilized in the round There is also large amount of cordwood, suit able only for fuel, charcoal and similar purposes.
 Fire killed timber should be bark ed soon after it is killed, in order to prevent decay of the surface. If the bark has been left on the sap- wood is somewhat decayed. Lodge pole pine and Engelmann spruce have about the same durability; after 25 years about 50 per cent is usually standing, and the fallen timber, if not flat on the ground, lasts five or six years. Balsam lasts about one-third as long Standing Douglass fir lasts almost indefinitely, and even when flat on the ground decays but slowly. Yellow pine decays more rapidly since it occurs mainly below an elevation of 5000 feet. On the other hand, on account of the openness of it's stand it is rarely killed by fire.
 In many places it is the popular opinion that dead timber is very much weaker than the seasoned timber. It is even held that timber which has been dead number of years is weak CT than green timber, and that the longer it stands the weaker it be- comes. These views are quite wrong By actual test it has been shown that sound timber, as a matter of fact, Is almost as strong as seasoned green timber, and much stronger than green timber before seasoning.
 The chief use to which dead timber is now put is for mine timbers. For this purpose it is even better suited than green timber, because it is per fectly seasoned and is light.
 It is estimated that the mines of Leadville, Col, use each month 350,- 900 feet of board measure of dead timber. There are also many other large mining camps that use it in wholesale quantities.
 For 15 years dead timber has been used for railroad ties in the Pikes Peak national forest, where it has proved entirely satisfactory. Wherever dead timber is located sufficiently near the track it is readily sold for ties Douglas fir, Timber pine, yellow pine, range pine, and, occasionally, Engle- mann spruce. are the species used
 In Denver, Col, dead timber has been used for number of years for boxes, with excellent results The species used were mainly Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine. Limber pine and Douglas fir were also used in small quantities. The first two did very well, especially the spruce, which was used for such exacting packages as cracker and biscuit boxes. Dead timber is eminently suited for making 
 less and is perfectly seasoned In smaller quantities dead timber has been used for telephone and telegraph poles, dimension stuff and fence posts.
 Travelled Hands
 In the course of our lives, says the statistician, although We write many letters, we have not the remotest idea of the distance our hands cover while travelling over the paper.