The Mercur miner. [volume] (Mercur, Utah) 1895-1913, 1907-03-20
POSTS or DEAD WOOD
FiRE.klLLEp LoDeEPoLE PINE is
WELL ADAPTED.
Preserved With creosote by a chesp
Process II Fulflls All Require.
ments-Dlseovered by Gov.
eminent Experiments.


Washington.-An experiment In the
preservative treatment OF dead lodge.
pole pine for fence posts. Just com.
pleted by the forest service. on the
Henrys lake forest reserve in niaho,
has given results of economic value
both to the people of the community
and to the forest service. II has
demonstrated that fire.killed lodgepole
pine Is well adapted to treatment with
creosote by an exceedingly simple
process.
The demand for durable posts by
ranchmen in the vicinity of Henrys
lake has hitherto been met by the use
of red cedar, but the supply Of this
species is now completely exhausted.
The only native trees at present avail.
able for posts are lodgepole pine,
quaking aspen, and Douglas FIR.
Though durability varies with the
soundness and dryness of the posts
when placed in the ground and with
the character OF the soil with which
they come into contact, in general.
aspen posts last from six to ten years,
fir posts from five to seven years. and
pine posts only from three to four
years.
Lodgepole pine without preservative
treatment is thus too short-lived to
make desirable posts or poles. The
idea Of treating 1t was suggested by
the requirements Of forest manage
ment on the Henrys lake reserve.
Large bodies of dead lodgepole pine,
both standing and down-the legacy of
severe fires In 1902-are a serious
handicap TO the forest there. This
timber must be got rid of TO make
room for young growth II the future
forest is to be well stocked.
Properly treated lodgepole pine
should last 20 years, which equals the
life of the former favorite. red cedar
BY treating the pine. and thus making
II serviceable for posts, the forest
service has found way of removing
the encumbering timber at good
price and supplying consumers with
valuable posts at reasonable figure.
Since the success of preservative
treatment has been demonstrated the
cents to approximately 40 cents per
cord
The treatment was given In gal.
vanized-iron tank fitted with steam
coils. in which from 40 to 80 posts
stripped of bark were placed upright.
Enough creosote was then run into
the tank to submerge the butts for
nh sxtf., nj
ed to 200 degrees Fair. or a little
above the boiling point of water at
that altitude, and afterwards allowed
TO cool
The large quantity OF fire-killed tim
Der on many of the forest reserves,
the pressing need for durable wood.
the steady rise in its price due to the
increasing difficulty of obtaining il,
and. finally, the ease with which post
timber can be treated, indicate that
the preservative treatment OF timber
is to have an important development
throughout the west. This, besides
meeting the demands OF the people
and reducing the drain upon the for
est, will lead to the improvement OF
conditions on the reserves and insure
better crops hereafter.
II is the intention of the forest serv-
ice to establish experimental treating
plants where there are bodies OF dead
timber on the reserves and a demand
for durable wood cannot otherwise be
met. Experimental work will be con.
Quoted with zinc Chord and other
processes as the needs of the different
regions and the thorough testing of
each process may require
AS a result of the post experiment,
Il is understood that a company will
take up the treatment OF dead lodge
pole pine on commercial scale In the
spring. They are satisfied that the
simplicity and economy of the open.
tank process introduced by the forest
service will enable them. with certain
notifications of apparatus. to treat
and sell not only fence posts. but tele-
phone poles and posts used for irriga
ton works. They count upon a local
market already In good part developed
by the confidence which the fence
post experiment has inspired.