Treesearch

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon occupy important water-producing lands. These forests generally occur at middle to high elevations on north slopes, where a substantial portion of the precipitation is snow. To learn more about the influence of lodgepole pine forests on accumulation of mow and rate of snowmelt, a series of measurements was made of the snow pack during the winter and spring of 1957 in an area typical of the lodgepole pine type.

Severity of 1957 fire weather west of the Cascade Range summit in Oregon and Washington was near the average of the previous 10 years. The season (April 1 through October 31) was slightly more severe than 1956 in western Oregon and about the same as 1956 in western Washington. Spring fire weather was near average severity in both western Washington and western Oregon. Summer was below normal severity in western Washington and above normal in western Oregon. Fall was more severe than average in both states.

Broadcast seeding of cutover lands is a promising, yet still problematical, means of tree regeneration. Substantial progress has been made since 1950, particularly with the introduction of new rodenticides and repellents suitable for direct application to the seed. One of these is tetramine (tetramethylene disulpho tetramine), a highly lethal repellent that has shown considerable success in protecting broadcast Douglas-fir seed from rodents. However, the original supplier of tetramine soon discontinued production of the chemical, primarily because of hazards associated with its manufacture....

In April 1956 a study was made in western Washington to determine grades of lumber that could be expected from silver fir (Abies amabilis) and grand fir (Abies grandis) which are grouped together the lumber industry and sold as white fir. At the sawmill where the study was made, none of the lumber is seasoned and most of it is sold surfaced-green. The headrig at this mill is used primarily to produce side-cut lumber and for breaking the remainder of the log into large cants which are sent to the sash gang. Most of the lumber produced is two inches thick.

Increased use of commercial thinning to provide an additional source of needed raw material and to boost overall yields from forest lands has again brought horses into the northwest woods. They are particularly well adapted to skidding small logs under the light, frequent cuts typical of a thinning operation. Horses can, moreover, work at close quarters in a young stand without seriously damaging residual trees and reproduction. In many stands, the advantage of minimum damage coupled with low initial investment and overhead costs will more than offset the disadvantages sf care required...

During the summer of 1956 a lumber-recovery study was made at E. C. Miller Lumber Company in Aberdeen, Wash. to determine the grades of lumber that can be expected from western redcedar logs. This sawmill is equipped with a 24-foot carriage, a 10-foot band headrig, a band pony headrig, and an edger. All of the upper grades of lumber are seasoned and then sent to the planing mill for further manufacture, primarily, into beveled siding. Most of the logs cut at this mill are purchased in the open market.

During April 1956, a study was made at a western Washington sawmill to determine lumber grades that my be expected from old-growth western hemlock timber. Lumber cut at this mill is not seasoned and most of it is sold surfaced-green. It is the practice at this plant to use the band headrig for producing side-cut lumber and to send the large cants—the full length of the logs—to the sash gang to be cut into 2-inch material. Thus, production in the 2-inch dimensional grades is heavy.

With the continued expansion of Douglas-fir plywood production, demand will increase for all grades of peelable logs to supply the industry. Thus, it becomes increasingly important to know the veneer-grade recovery expected so that timber and log values can be more accurately appraised.

During 1956, the Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station made a series of six veneer-recovery studies in the Douglas-fir region of Oregon and Washington. The net volume of logs involved totaled approximately 777 M board-feet. Purpose of these studies was to determine volume recovery, by grade of veneer, from the four principal grades of Douglas-fir logs processed at plywood plants.

Aerial surveys are widely used to detect, appraise, and map damage caused to forest trees by insects. The success of these surveys largely depends upon the ability of observers to distinguish differences in foliage color and tree condition. The observers' ability is influenced by several factors.