Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-21
COROWOOD SURVEY BEGUN
Federal Inquiry Covers New
England and COrdwoOd Markets.
Cleaning Out Defective Trees Good
ReforestatiOn, Says state Forester
Heat Values ; Of Wood
surveys objects.

The federal survey of cordwood in
New England has begun, according q
the State Forester. who says that
five or six OF the principal cities of
the whole group of states will be la
ken as representative of conditions in
municipalities. The cities selected are
of different size sufficiently to make
a safe judgment possible of how much
cordwood is used. how it Is sold--how
: much hard and soft and for what pur-
poses. etc-and whether there is n
I possibility OF increasing the demand
for 1t.
Mr.. Halves said It was for the well
fare of Vermont to clean up the huge
quantity of cordwood that was going
to waste in the State. not only to make
forest fires less liable, but to make
room for the trees that were alive and
younger. though less strong, to grow.
In other words. clearing out the tops
and large branches of trees. for In
stance, left after numbering operations,
was wise step In the work of re-
forestation which the State board of
agriculture and forestry is carrying
on
Boston. Mass and Providence, r. L..
are among the cities known to have
been already chosen One of the less
comprehensive questions which the
federal investigators will go into, Will
he whether. for example, 1t wouldn't
be better not to have coal dealers sell
wood. on which often they cannot rca-
lie anything like an equal profit.
They have no incentive to push sales
of wood if the profits arc less. An
increase in the use of fireplaces, which
the State forester said it was hoped to
bring about, would mean more cord
wood used. 81 know of places where
they are hauling coal ten miles into
the country" said he, when they might
just as well be using the cordwood
lying about them.
WOODS HEAT VALUES.
The following little table is instruc-
tive in showing the respective heat
values of cordwood and coal. The
table is deceptive in that cordwood
sawed into blocks will last longer
than If split up, while the heat from
coal is produced more uniformly and
is more prolonged.
One cord of oak. beech, birch, hard
maple. ash. elm or black cherry equals
one ton of coal; one and one half cords
of Douglass fir. sycamore or soft ma
pie equals one ton of coal; two cord.
of cedar, poplar, spruce, white pine
Eastwood or Norway pine equals one
ton of coal.
These figures were sent out by the
forest service of the United States de-
partment of agriculture Septembe r
10.
WASTE IN WOODS.
Tho waste in the woods is marked in
q of beech
branches of which are cut off. and
thrown aside, while the trunk alone is
used Balsom and spruce are used ur
to a much greater extent, but their
tops go to waste.
But even not considering the dead
remnants left in the forests, especially
most hardwoods which have large
branches. low hanging, it is wiser
economically says Mr.. Halves. in most
cases to cut down the poorer trees to
make room for those which promise
well for Hmbe rmen.
At the late New England foresters
conference in Crawford's Notch, y. H..
there was talk of organizing the farm
ers into associations for the purpose OF
shipping and marketing their timber col
lectivc'-'. 1t would also be cheaper tC
collect and grade logs collectively in
TINS way, says the state forester A
group could employ an expert grader and
save time and money Logs could be
shipped in carload lots which is one
chief respect in which the large dea er
has an advantage over the small.
Boston and Springfield, Mass, and New
Haven. bridgeport and other cities in
Connecticut are the principal markets for
Vermont lumber
NOTES.
The State forester has returned from
the State fair and Downer state forest
In the town of Sharon.
f. \. Chandler, assistant forester is
on a tour Of the chief forest towns OF
Windsor county, advising farmers re-
sardng the reforestation of abandoned
woodots, the value of standing timber,
etc.
x. NJ. Ross, an assistant, has return
ed from the State fair.