A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Salvage     To harvest trees that are dead or in poor condition but can still yield a forest product.     Back to top       Sanitation cutting     The removal of damaged or diseased stems to prevent the spread of insects or disease. Back to top         Sapling     A young tree of small diameter, typically 2 to 5 inches at DBH     Back to top       Sapwood     The layer of new wood surrounding the denser, dead heartwood of a tree and under the cambium and bark layers.     Back to top       Scaling (lumber or logs)     Logs are measured (or scaled) for the purpose of estimating the amount of lumber that can be obtained. Once logs have been processed into lumber it is again necessary to quantify volumes produced. The process of measuring lumber is called lumber scaling. The volume lumber yielded from a log may be greater than the estimated volume of lumber. Also see Yield. Back to top     Schoolmarm     Logger's slang for a tree with one or more trunks. Back to top     Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)     One of two independent organizations inthe U.S. appointed by the Forest Stewardship Council to certify landowners engaged in active forest management. SCS is based in Oakland, CA and is a for profit operation. The other agency is Smartwood based in Manchester, VT. Back to top     Scrag Mill     A special high-speed sawmill designed to saw small diameter logs. A skrag mill typically has two circle saws arranged in parallel which remove two slabs with one pass of the log producing a two-sided cant. Not all sawmills have a scrag capability and so are limited to purchasing only larger diameter sawlogs. Back to top     Scribner Log Rule     In use since before 1846. This scaling rule is based on a diagram of the size and number of 1" boards that could be sawn from it allowing for 1/4" kerf. Back to top     Shade tolerance     The capacity of a tree or plant species to develop and grow in the shade of and in competition with other trees or plants. Back to top     Shake     A separation of the wood along an annual ring (ring shake)or cracks radiating from the heart (heart shake) caused by frost, wind, or felling of the tree Back to top     Shelter Belt     A wind barrier of living trees and/or shrubs maintained to protect farm fields or homesteads. Back to top     Shelterwood cutting     Any harvest cutting of a more or less regular and mature crop, designed to establish a new crop under protection of the old. Back to top     Silviculture     The art and science of growing and tending a forest. It includes assessing sites before they are harvested to determine what is growing there now, evaluating soil conditions to determine moisture and nutrient levels as well as assessing the types of plants that are growing on the site. Back to top     Skidder     A wheeled or tracked vehicle used for sliding/dragging logs from the stump to the landing. Back to top     Slab     The exterior portion of a log removed in sawing timber. Back to top     Slash     Tree tops, branches, bark, and other debris left after a forest operation Back to top     Softwood     Evergreen trees, conifers, cone-bearing trees or wood cut from these trees. Softwood lumber has long been the mainstay of the residential construction industry where it is used in relatively large-sized pieces. Though some of this wood, such as that used for siding, must be of good appearance, most requires only adequate strength. Because of these factors, and because construction requires material of uniform size which can be stockpiled economically (meaning a relatively small number of standard sizes), softwood lumber is manufactured to standard sizes and is measured accordingly. Back to top     Spar     A pole, tower or tree used in cable logging to raise the mainline off the ground. Back to top     Spike Top     A tree with a dead top, usually a mark of declining vigor Back to top     Springwood     The less dense, larger wood cells of an annual growth ring. Also called earlywood to refer to the fact that it is the wood formed early in the growing season. See also summerwood. Back to top     Stand     A community of trees sufficiently uniform in species, age, arrangement or condition to be distinguishable as a group from the forest or other growth on the area. Back to top     Stem Wood     See Bole Wood. Back to top     Stickers     When kiln or air-dryin wood, stickers are pieces of wood placed perpendicularly between layers of boards to allow for airflow through the stack. Stickers are usually placed 12 to 18 inches apart and directly over any support beams under the stack. Placing stickers as close as possible to the end of the boards helps to limit end checking and reduce warp. Back to top     Structural I-Beams     Structural I-Beams were developed to take advantage of the fact that compression and tension stresses are greatest at the top and bottom edges of a beam as it is subjected to a load. By concentrating the amount of wood at the the top and bottom edges and by paying close attention to the quality of wood used at these locations, beams are made that have high strength but which use far less wood than solid lumber. Such products are widely used today and were used in 19% of the homes built in the United States during 1996. Structural I-beams are used for the most part as floor joists, replacing 2 × 12, 2 × 10, and 2 × 8 solid-sawn lumber that has traditionally been used for joists. Back to top     Stumpage     The value of timber as it stands uncut in the woods. The price charged for the right to harvest timber from publically or privately-owned forest land. The University of Massachusetts publishes a local stumpage fee report quarterly based on responses to a survey of local landowners and loggers. Back to top     Summerwood     The denser, later-formed wood of an annual growth ring. Also known as "latewood" relating to the time in the growing season that these cells are produced. Back to top     Sunscald     Death of cambial tissue on one side of a tree, caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Back to top     Surfaced     Lumber that has gone through a planer so that its sides are smooth and uniform in size. Back to top     Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)     The program and polices formed by the American Forest and Paper Association (AFandPA). SFI was developed in response to criticism from environmentalists aimed at logging practices that did not promote forest sustainability. SFI is the industrial counterpart to programs promoted by Smartwood (non-profit)and Scientific Certification Systems (for profit) which promote and certify landowners engaged in proactive and sustainable forest management. AFandPA requires all its members to comply with SFI principles among which is the requirement that forest management be "certified" by an independent third party. SFI certification can be easily confused with "green certification" promoted by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Back to top     Sustained Harvest     A level of harvest that does not exceed annual growth, so that at least as much is available for harvest in 50 years as today. Back to top     Sweep     A gradual (but pronounced) bend in a log, pole, or piling; considered a defect. Sweep in a log is analogous to "bow" in a piece of lumber. Back to top     Swell-butted     Describes a tree greatly enlarged at the base. Back to top     For Further Information Please contact our knowledgable staff