12^—Lancaster 'Farming, Friday, April 20, 195 ft >
Chemical Debarldng of Trees Will
Open New Income on Solanco Farms
By LF Staff Reporter
Where last year bouthern Lan
caster County provided $26,400
from pulpwood for pa
per, a potential of four to six
tim.es that amount is not im
according to two spe
cialists' from the paper indus
try.
Visiting Lancaster Farming
this week were Harojd W Geig
er, forester for the Gladfelter
Pulp Wood Co of Spring Grove,
Pa., and Joseph Lesley, R 2 Ox
ford, a resident of Lancaster
County’s Colerain Township, an
independent buyer of pulpwood
for Gladfelter.
These two men explained’ the
worth and possibilities of tree
farming in the hills of Southern
Lancaster County, where timbers
extend as far as the' eye can
Girdling, Then Debarking
Here a tree that someday will be paper is girdled by
axe prior to application of chemical which will completely
debark the tree within a matter of weeks. Specialists urge
girdling be done at lowest levels possible to insure full
utilization of the wood.
Bark on a chemically-treated
tree is easily removed as
shown in the photo above.
The tree, which has been
killed, is easily cleared of
hark for consignment to pulp
wood mills.
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Trees Chemically Debarked
One of the biggest bugaboos
ot the pulpwood production
problem has been solved. Today'
trees through the use of
chemicals may be debarked
while still standing When top
pled, they are ready to be trim
med and sawed and shipped.
Right now is the time when
farmers should consider possi
bilities of this new source of in
come, the two men told. Chemi
cal treatment of trees, .for de
barking is preferred the
season of heavy" sap-flow, *or
w!hat is knowff as the. sap peeLf
irig seasonj.late May, all o£ June*
and early July" v
Trees are gifdled. A band of
bark six inches wide or more
is removed about stump height.
A chemical containing a 40 per
cent sodium arsenate solution is
painted or sprayed on the band
of wood
Treated trees die quickly
within a week or so after treat
ment. During the sap flow, this
killing solution travels through
the sap channels rapidly. In fact,
the Gladfelter firm made a test,
using radioactive materials in
the sodium arsenate solution ap
plied at the base of the tree.
Using a Geiger counter,
the specialists traced the
flow of the killing solution
up the tree. The day was
sunny, the sap flowing fast.
-Within four hours, radioac
tive traces were recorded on
the counter in leaves at the
extreme top of the tree.
Chemical debarking is Com
paratively new. But it is saving
untold hours of sap peeling. Aft
-5r trees dip, the bark separates
from the trunk, hanging in
trips that may be easily re
moved.
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All of the, oaks, ,poplaiji gumi; . 1
elm and walnut will “usually peel *
in from two to three months,,
following treatment, sometimes
as soon as weeks. Others, such
as the pines, hemlock, aspen,
maple, cherry, beech and birch,
will peel best if they are not cut
until some winter freezing and
thawing have taken place. On
these, frost action helps loosen
the bark, saving time and labor.
Ash, on the other,hand, does
not respond too well to this
chemical debarking process.
Once treated, trees should be
fenced with electric wire to pre
vent livestock from coming into
contact with the highly poison
ous solution. However, addition
of creosote in the past year has
made the. chemical lose
peal to cattle and deer. Its use'
has been approved on the state j
game lands. A month after treat
ment, the timbers may be re
opened to grazing.'
3 $6 Per Cord Differential
Does chemical debarking pay?
A differential of $6 per cord is
often paid for chemically de
arked trees. Equipment, labor
and chemicals may cost about
$l.OO to $l.lO, still providing the
tree farmer with a good mar
gin.
. “We are seeking more wood
rom the Lancaster and York
ounty regions, seeking pulpwood
loser home if it is available,”
he two men told Lancaster
'arming.
Gladfelter produces fine qual
ty, specialty papers, book, off
et, ledger, bond.
Each of these require that the
laper be truly white. Any trace
if bark in a batch of pulpwood
nay produce discoloration that
*ules out use of such pulp in
specialty papers.
Chemical debarking is open
ing a new source of income dur
ing the fall and winter months,
but the two representatives em
phasize that this is the season to
begin treatment.
In addition to Mr. Lesley, serv
ices of Ray Brooks, full-time
conservation forester for Gald
felter, aye available free of
charge to those considering tree
farming for the paper industry.
“It’s a matter of pulpwood
versus saw timber,” Mr. Geiger
told. Wood properly debarked
and today this process is simple
brings a much higher price.
Many Advantages Listed
Tests are still underway to de
ermine various phases of chemi
cal debarking, but so far results
Trees, when felled, may be
easily peeled following treat
ment with a 40 per cent
sodium arsenate solution. In
the background is another
tree, showing the black band,
of chemical which killed the
tree, causing the bark to
readily separate from the
trunk. Here a tree is sap
peeled.
are very encouraging. Irt a 2400-
tree test project near Syracuse,
it was found that withm.4B hours,
95 per cent of the arsenic was
gone from the face of the girdle.
TREE PROGRAM WORKS
RICHMOND, Va. Governor
Thomas B. Stanley’s “Plant
More Trees” program has reach
ed its first- year’s goal of plant
ing 20 million seedlings. The
Virginia Division of Forestry re
cently reported it could have
sold 3 million more seedlings but
its supply was: exhausted..
. Treated
anemically treated pulpwood; completely debarked, is
ricked* for seasoning ‘and l shipment to paper mills. Through
chemical debarking, a new era of tree farming to supply
the ever-increasing needs of the paper .industry is develop
ing. Note trees in background which have been treated
and whose bark is loosening.
There are many advantages to
this process. Wood may be stor
ed on the stump until time and
labor are available for cutting.
Bark is removed easily and in
expensively. Peeling may be
done any time of the year, un
dess. temperatures are low and
the bark freezes to the trees.
There are fewer hang-ups on
other trees due to dead, brittle
tops of treated trees. Little or no
felling damage results to young
er trees to be left standing.
Chemical Debarking
A tree that has been, girdled is here treated with chemi
cals which in a few weeks will cause the tree to completely
hed its bark before being toppled and sent to paper mills
'or use as pulpwood. Gloves, a brush and extreme care in
its use'are urged.
EXCAVATING
Donald C. Walter
TRENCHING BACKFILLING
LOADING AND GRADING
Willow Street Rl, Ph. Lane. 3-1187
QU4RRYVILLE CONCRETE
PRODCCTSCOMPMY
Phone
109R2
There is no surface pitch on
wood from treated pines or other
evergreen trees.
Most of all, there is increased
income from peeled wood sales,
the wood is easier to split, and
woodlot improvement is made
easier. Only trees that should be
cut out are treated.
There is a new field of farm
ing opening in Southern Lancas
ter County, production of timber
for the pulp industry.
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