Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-05-04
Vermont Mills Saving Smaller and
More Hardwoods.

There are somelwho say that Fores-
try in Vermont is unnecessary, that
our forests are growing faster than
they are cut. If this were true it
would be no argument against increas-
ing the forest productivity of the state
any more than it would be an argument
against better dairying to say that our
cows are producing mil as fast as we
are using it. Unfortunately it is not
true, for although the annual cut OF
lumber in the state has remained
about the same for the past twenty-five
years, it is being so maintained by the
cutting of small trees and by the sub
stitution of hardwoods. numbering
the hardwoods has only been MAJ
possible in most districts during the
past few years because of the growing
scarcity of softwoods throughout the
country and consequent rise in prices
of hardwoods. Many of the saw
with machinery for making bobbins,
clothes-pins or some other small arti-
! cles, thus enabling them to utilize the
portions of hardwood logs which few
years ago were wasted.
The State Forest Service, in order
| to form some accurate idea of the size
of the logs now being manufactured,
made study of two mills: one belong
| ing to Mr.. Knight of Underhill and
the other to Mr. Wheeler in Water
bury. Of the million and half feet
of logs in the yard of the Underhill
mill 100000 feet are hardwoods and
900, 900 feet softwoods. Of the latter
only about 100,0 900 feet are spruce,
here at the foot of Mount Mansfield,
at mill whose annual cut of spruce
was million feet ten years ago. All
of these logs were purchased, many Of
! them being hauled ten or twelve
miles; and some of them at least
were from sugar orchards.
| A great many logs on the sideways
of these two mills were measured just
as they came and represent probably
the average run of logs in this portion
of the state, if not of the whole state.
Of the spruce logs at one mill 70 per
cent were less than 10 inches in diam
eter; % per cent, 11-15 inches 2 per
cent 1920 inches. At the other mill,
SO per cent were less than 10 inches 80
per cent, Ills inches IA per cent,
1920 inches. Out of 300 spruce logs
measured it would only be possible to
saw two boards 20 inches wide. 1t is
also interesting to note that in the lat
ter mill where So per cent of the
spruce logs were less than 10 inches,
these logs only scaled rs per cent of
the lumber; while the logs Ills inches
scaled 40 per cent, and those 1920 inches
35 per cent.
While the hemlock logs run some
what larger than spruce about the
same proportions obtain, namely, So
per cent less than 10 inches SO per
cent Ills inches 8 per cent, 1920 in
ches 4 per cent over 20 inches. OF
course the hardwoods are not sawed sc
small and the biggest proportion of the
logs are therefore between II and l!
inches.
In so far as the small softwood logs
: represent tops which would have beer
: wasted ten years ago, mill practice has
improved; but most of these small logs
! represent also small trees and hereir
, lies the explanation of the fact tina
the lumber cut of Vermont has no
yet materially dropped off; but the
equally evident proof that it will droI
off very materially during the mex
few years.
If any lumbermen of the state have
records of the sizes of their logs il
past years comparison of these size
with those of the present would b.
6 very interesting and the State Foreste
would he pIad to learn of Such data