The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-01-13
ON FORESTRY
in FLORIDA
by L. L. BISHoP)
Forest Supervisor.

DDS Of turpentining, the conservative
methods under which government
stumpage on the Florida national
forest is being turpenfined. are re-
ceiving much favorable consideration.
Under private operation it has been
the rule that a stand of long leaf pine
timber could be turpentined for four
or five years front faca and then
back cupped for about three> years.
At the end of this eight or nine-year
period so to IS per cent of the trees
had died, and the timber was of lit
.Me value except for the production of
cross ties, lar wod and products other
than lumber Under the forest service
plan it is expected that it viii be
profitable TO uurpentine the trees for
a total of fourteen years, and at the
end OF the period rs per cent of them
will be alive and valuable as saw
logs. The % per cent which it is
probable will die, largely on account
of being old and unthrify. will be
used for the production of ties and
fuel. Leases have just been prepared
in the forest supervisors office COW
ering the tenth year of such a scheme,
and so far as can now be tod the
fun ideal of the plan viii be realized.
operation produces the largest possi-
BILE flow of gum without undue in
jury to the trees. This flow for any
one year. except the first, is materi-
ally greater than ulat which obtained
in private practice. The total for
three or four-year period, including
the first, is much greater. The pres
ent government plan is the result Of
Nf CCra+f and oh
servation. During the last ten years
the several features have been studied
in actual practice on the Florida
forest. The whole scheme is altogether
practicable and no more expensive
shan private operation. It has been
adopted in whole or in part by all
those operators to whose attention it
has come,
The conservative features or the
forest service plan are:
1. In putting up cups. none are
placed on very small or unthrifty
trees. Not too many cups are put
on larger trees.
2. Shallow chipping is practiced
and streaks are narrow as well.
g. Living strips of wood are left
between faces on two and three-cup
trees.
4. Faces are started close TO the
ground.
5. Cups on government timber are
so raised that in placing of the tins
no deep incisions are made in she
face, or small nails used which might
be left in the tree.
1t is a well known fact that in ine
past the net profits of private opera
lions have been reduced by the plac-
ing of cups on very small trees. Such
trees do not produce enough gum to
pay for the cost of operation. What
little they have produced has helped
to cause over production and thus
reduce abe value of the product as
a whole. IT is a scientific fact that +,
practically all the gum comes from
that portion Of the tree just beneath
Nhe bark, and that little is produced
at a greater depth than oneNhalf inch. !
Also that by removing one-half inch
up the tree each week, the maximum
resin producing activity of the ducts /,
is induced. In the past many trees /
have been killed by too many faces
being placed on the lower portion of
the trunk, and after having been
worked for a season or two, these !
faces meeting and the tree being prac- !
LEGALLY SlIQtGOs II mas DtEn the IEdC- /
tice to start the faces in many cases !
a fun half seasons work above the |
point where chipping should have be- |
gun. Especially along the gulf /
coast, immense quantities of long |
leaf pine timber have been wasted I
because of the deep incisions !
made when cups We're raised, causing !
the trees to be windthrown and brok-
en- during heavy storms. The leaving
of small nails in the faces has greatly
reduced the saw mill value on stands
of timber which have been turpentined 1
under private management.
The scarcity of virgin timber in the
south is causing many operators who
have depended on this section of the
country for the timber to support their
naval stores operations. to turn their
attention to the west and Mexico as a
possible source of such stores. 1t is
quite possible that a method of tur-
pentining similar TO that carried on in
the Florida national forest, under for
est service supervision can be used in
either or both places. The develop T
ment of new fields is only one Of sew
eral possibilities as to the providing
for the future supply of naval stores.
A possibility of vast potentiality lies 4
in the direction of the retort distilla-
ton of the once generally despised pine
stump Many industries have lived to
see that which at one time was a
worthless bi-product come to be a very
important revenue producing item. For
example. cotton seed a few years ago
were worse than worthless. A change
is rapidly taking place as regards pine
stumps Instead of being removed at
4 great expense to the land owners,
they are now being sold in many places Fl
for enough to pay the entire charge Of
clearing the land. Within the near
future it is predicted that land owners
will receive a good price for their