Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-08-27

western white pine. ponderosa pine
lodgepole pine. Douglas fir. larch
spruce, henlock cedar and others ID
minor Importance are made available
for market, but purchasers are bound
BY contract TO cut only In accord with
methods designed to insure continuous
yield prescribed by the forest service
Trees Are Selected
Previous to logging, trees TO be cut
are carefully selected and marked IN
some stands only the dominant" or
biggest and tallest, trees are removed
leaving the "understory," or smaller
trees TO absorb the new rush Of in
MIGRATING sunlight and grow to FIJI the
places Of their overshadowing brothers.
In q relatively few years when the
smaller trees have attained their ma
turity, the cutting process Is repeated
and never at any time Is the land en-
tirely stripped of its forest cover. This
process commonly practiced in the ma
tional forests Is known as seIective
cutting.
Some species of trees, such as west
ern white pine, under certain condi-
lions do not lend themselves to such
'.selective" cutting and must be given
different treatment. Unlike ponderosa
stands, one below the other, western
white pine often becomes ripe and
ready TO cut in magnificent eYenaged
forests. Nearly all trees are ready to
cut at approximately the same time.
When such stands are harvested sew
eral healthy individuals on each acre
are reserved for seed trees and left
standing to supply seed for q new crop
Of young trees after the others are
gone. In some places whole strips of
trees are left at regular intervals to
assure regeneration In the parlance
OF the forester, these processes are
known respectively as the seed tree
method of cutting" and the strip
method of cutting"
Where the seed tree and strip
methods of cutting are applied it is
necessary to have vast areas under
production with the cutting crews ro-
tating progressively from one area to
another as the trees become ripe.
"Slash" Fire Hazard
AS natural consequence Of logging,
limbs and branches litter the ground
and create one of the most feared of
all fire hazards If this litter, common
ly referred to as slash" is not promptly
disposed of a single spark during the
dry summer months may result In q
conflagration destroying young and
old forests for miles around.
In order to cope with this unavoid- |
able menacing aftermath OF the tree
harvest the forest service requires that
each operator include in his purchase !
price an additional allowance for the /
Of the offensive debris. In /
certain areas where the resultant |
slash does not represent fire danger |
1t is simply scattered and left to rot
helping check the rapid runoff of /
water and maintaining the fertility of
the soil. Usually, however, wherever
large quantities of brush accumulate,
slash disposal crews are put to work
piling the Topped off branches during
the summer and burning during wet
months of fall and early winter after
all danger of flying sparks is past. In
This way the hazard is removed without
material damage to any of the remain
ing trees or surrounding forests.
Although the demand for national
forest timber has been steadily i'm
sreasing with the years, the annual cut
as compared to that of the whole re-