Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. Revised April 10, 1922. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE. W. B. GREELEY, Forester. INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPRAISING STUMPAGrE on national FORESTS. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 192, CONTENTS. Page. Introduction t 1 Purpose of instructions 1 Use of instructions ’ 1 Standard terms _r.___ 1 Fixed investment 1 Depreciation ! ! 1 1 Residual and wrecking values _ 2 Operating costs 2 Maintenance 2 General expense . 2 Interest - 2 Working capital 3 Selling price 3 Profit 3 Overrun 3 Overturn, or cost of production 3 Principles underlying stumpage appraisals 4 Basis of appraisals _ 4 Market value required by law 4 Appraisals on agricultural lands • 4 Minimum stumpage rates 4 Appraised value 4 Fair profit for the operator 4 Intensive study of investments and costs 5 Grouping and standardizing operating costs 5 Conservative calculations 5 Description of logging conditions and methods 6 Use of appraiser’s judgment 6 Analysis of a proposed operation 1 6 Fixed investment, depreciation, and residual or wrecking value 8 Inclusion of all necessary investments 8 Commissaries and boarding houses 8 Mill sites and rights of way 9 Size and type of plants Borrowed and unborrowed capital. Classification of investments 9 Investments for remanufacturing plants excluded 10 Depreciation of fixed investments 11 Rate of depreciation 11 Calculation of depreciation 11 Physical life of equipment and structures 12 Determination of residual or wrecking value 13 Timber upon which investments should be depreciated 13 If no additional timber is available 14 If additional timber is available i — _____ 14 hi CO CO IV CONTENTS. Principles underlying stumpage appraisals — Continued. Page. Fixed investment, depreciation, etc. — Continued. Use of .standard manufacturing costs and depreciation 15 Profit-bearing period of investments fixed by actual use 15 Interest charges on preliminary investments 16 Calculation of annual depreciation and average investment 16 By separate years 16 By investment items 16 Operating costs 20 Standard classification _— 20 Necessity for ascertaining all operating costs 22 Use of conservative figures 22 Checks from jobbing rates and going operations 22 Extra costs of Service requirements 22 Basis of computation — 4i— . 23 Distinction between operating costs and fixed investments 23 Period of use the deciding factor ,__ 23 Maintenance 23 Maintenance of mills ! 23 Selling costs 24 Taxes and insurance 24 General expense — Superintendence 24 Working capital . — 24 Elements in working capital 24 Variation in different operations 25 Frequency of the turn 25 Working capital required for taxes and insurance 25 Working capital required for accounts receivable "25 Determination of working capital 26 Margin for contingencies 27 In slow operations 27 Calculation of working capital from average stocks on hand 27 Use of normal rather than speculative stocks 28 Working capital in sales of special products 28 Overrun 29 Source of overrun ; 29 A necessary factor in stumpage appraisals 29 Determination of overrun 29 Log scale the final basis in calculations 29 Lumber and log selling prices 30 Appraisals based upon lumber selling prices 30 Average selling price of various grades 30 Calculation of the average selling price 30 Average selling price of mixed stands 31 Lumber prices prevailing in producing regions — 31 Lumber prices during normal market conditions 31 State of manfacture and shipment 31 Value of by-products 32 Prices of other products than lumber 32 Use of log prices as a check r__ 32 Margin for profit and risk 32 What profit is __ 32 Profit margin in stumpage appraisals 32 CONTENTS. V Principles underlying stumpage appraisals — Continued. Page. Margin for profit and risk — Continued. Elements in margin for profit and risk 33 Interest on investment 33 Reward for personal effort 33 Business risks 33 Risk on fixed investments and working capital 34 Other factors affecting risk 34 Comparison with other kinds of business 34 Comparison with private operations 35 Methods of reckoning margin for profit and risk 35 Investment method 35 Overturn method 35 Compensation for personal services 36 Checks on profit margin calculations 36 By going operations 36 By current bids 36 By money per thousand feet 36 Application of the investment method 37 Frequency of the turn unimportant — 37 Calculation under the investment method 37 Rates of profit margin under the investment method 38 Different rates on different parts of the investment 38 Interest on borrowed capital 39 Application of the overturn method 39 Effect of fixed investments 39 Bearing of frequency of the turn on profit margin 40 When used 40 Different rates on logging and milling 40 Use of both the investment and the overturn methods in same appraisal ! 41 Rates of profit margin under the overturn method 41 Distribution of profit margin and depreciation in mixed stands 42 Prorated on quantity of timber _ « 42 Prorated on net value of timber 42 Stumpage price , 43 How obtained in mixed stands 43 Flat rates not desirable 43 Use of minimum stumpage rates • 44 Distribution of loss on inferior species 44 Trade valuation of inferior species 44 Stumpage prices for special products 45 Appraisals for small sales : 45 Small operations irregular 45 Appraisals based on methods in use 45 Lumber prices 45 Small operations competing in general markets 45 Schedules of prices for small sales 46 Safeguards and checks 46 Check by appraiser’s judgment 46 Check by money margin per 1,000 feet 46 Prices bid in former sales 46 Current stumpage appraisals 46 Prices of private timber 46 VI CONTENTS. Page. Methods of appraising stnmpage ; application of principles previously- discussed 47 Symbols for elements in appraisal 47 Examples of the investment method 47 A small operation in the Rocky Mountains 47 A middle-sized operation in the Blue Mountains 50 A large operation in the Idaho Panhandle j 54 Examples of the overturn method 60 A small hardwood operation in the southern Appalachians * 60 A logger’s sale in northern Montana 62 A sale of tie and mining timber in Wyoming 65 An example of the investment method for logging and of the overturn method for milling 69 A flume and driving chance in the western white pine region 69 Appendix — Form for summarizing the essential data in stumpage ap- praisals 73 INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. INTRODUCTION. Purpose of Instructions. These instructions are meant to standardize the principles and methods fol- lowed in stumpage appraisals upon National Forests. They bring together the results of the experience and study of many Forest officers, but are not final, and will be revised from time to time as further experience is gained. They should, however, be applied in all appraisals, both (1) to secure uniform practice throughout the Forest Service and (2) to develop this phase of sales work by joint use and study of the same methods. One of the methods indi- cated will therefore be used in every stumpage appraisal. Other methods may be used, as desired by the appraising officer, and the results reported as a check upon the standard methods. Suggestions for modifications or addi- tions to these instructions should be submitted to the Forester. Use of Instructions. These instructions supplement the National Forest Manual. They will govern the appraisal of stumpage in timber sale, timber settlement, timber trespass, and free use business, and in land exchange projects. If copies are desired by others than members of the Forest Service, the opportunity to purchase from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., should be pointed out. STANDARD TERMS. For uniformity in appraisal reports and discussions the following terms will be used with the meanings here given : Fixed Investment. Fixed investment, as applied to lumbering operations, is the money expended in constructing or acquiring the operating plant. It comprises not merely buildings, railroads, and woods improvements, but machinery and equipment, such as cars and locomotives, donkey engines, and teams. It includes the re- placement of worn-out structures or equipment which must be renewed during an operation. Fixed investment, as distinct from working capital, is the outlay for land, structures, and equipment, which can be recovered only in a consider- able period of time as portions of the cost of the plant are returned from the business and charged off in its accounts. An initial fixed investment is the expenditure for these purposes required at the beginning of an operation, to start production at the normal capacity of the plant. A subsequent fixed investment is any later outlay for the extension or renewal of improvements or equipment. Depreciation. Shrinkage in the value of fixed investment is called depreciation. At the end of an operation the buildings, transportation improvements, and equipment are valueless or worth but a portion of their first cost. Depreciation is this 1 2 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. decrease in the value of fixed investments which must, in one form or another,, be restored to the original capital from the proceeds of the business. Residual and Wrecking Values. Fixed investments usually have some value at the end of an operation. If this value exists because of opportunity for continued use in place, as where additional blocks of timber are available to a partly used mill, it is known as residual value. If the value is only for removal and use elsewhere, or for sale as scrap, it is known as wrecking value. Residual or wrecking value is equivalent to first cost less depreciation. As the amount of depreciation is decreased, residual value approaches the original investment and may nearly equal it in the case of railroads and other permanent structures. Investments in the lumber business, however, are seldom main- tained at a constant capital value, as is frequently the case in industries of a more permanent character. Operating Costs. Operating costs consists of all expenditures in an operation except for stump- age and fixed investments. They are the current charges for labor, supplies, and other expenditures required in logging and manufacturing, from stump to car. They include maintenance, taxes, insurance, and general expense. Maintenance. Maintenance includes all charges for keeping buildings, structures, machinery, and tools in condition for doing the work for which they were designed. It is a current operating cost, consisting of labor, materials, and new parts of equip- ment used in repairs. Unlike depreciation, maintenance bears no direct relation to the cost of fixed investments. No arbitrary line need be drawn between maintenance and fixed investments in the matter of replacements. The replacement of complete units like boilers, burners, dry kilns, engines, band mills, planing machines, locomotives, or donkey engines should be regarded as a subsequent fixed investment. The replacement of small parts of mill machinery such as band saws, belts, pulleys, etc., should be regarded as maintenance. The replacements of short-lived equipment, such as steel cables, saws, wedges, and axes are ordinarily carried as a current operat- ing cost, but may be treated as an investment. Sound local trade practice should guide the treatment of these items in National Forest appraisals. General Expense. General expense is a convenient term to designate the operating costs which are not directly chargeable to any distinct and recognized step in logging 01; manufacture. It includes supervision of the operation as a whole, office ex- penses, etc. It does not include taxes and insurance, which are sufficiently specific to be treated separately. The term overhead charges is frequently used in the trade to designate ex- penditures of this character. General expense is preferred as a more applicable term. Interest. As used in Forest Service appraisals, interest is neither one of the regular costs nor a part of the returns from the business. Interest on invested capital at any fixed rate will not be included in the cost of production, and all returns will be shown in one place as margin for profit and risk. The term interest will be used only to mean interest on money invested in improvements during the period before cutting begins, which will be made part of the fixed investment as computed on the date when logging commences. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 3 Working Capital. Working capital is the money which must be available to pay for stumpage, labor, supplies, insurance, and other current expenditures in the operation. It includes the operating costs, but excludes any sums expended for fixed invest- ments. Working capital may be regarded as a fund drawn upon from time to time for operating costs and maintained by restoring to it a portion of the receipts from the sale of the product. Selling Price. Selling price is the average mill-run value of the product of an operation per thousand board feet or other unit. In lumber production it is the average in- voice price of the various grades manufactured f. o. b. cars at the mill or nearest common-carrier shipping point. With other products, it is the average price of all grades and sizes at the point, usually represented by common- carrier shipment, where the specific operation dealt with in the appraisal ter- minates. Selling price should ordinarily be taken as the average price at which the product is billed less actual freight, or scheduled freights with under- weights adjusted. If the prevailing practice in the region is to discount for cash payment, the selling price should be reduced accordingly on that portion of the product subject to discount, and the working capital should be deter- mined with recognition of the shorter average elapsed time between shipments and payments. The average selling price of a species or a tract of timber is the average price of all grades and sizes of the manufactured product. This product may include a considerable variety of form and finish. As a standard practice, factory products and the higher forms of finish will not be included unless necessary to arrive at a satisfactory valuation. Profit. Profit is the money returned from sales of the product over and above depre- ciation of* fixed investments, operating costs, and payments for stumpage. Profit must be distinguished from a margin for profit and risk. The latter is the profit element used in Service appraisals. Aside from the actual profit estimated as due the operator, it includes a surplus to cover unforeseen losses and risks. The margin for profit and risk may be calculated as a percentage return on the money invested, a given amount per unit manufactured, or a percentage of the total unit cost of production. Overrun. Overrun is the difference between log scale and lumber tally at date of sale, on the same quantity of material in the log. It results from the inaccuracies of log scales, and particularly the use of thinner saws since the prevailing scale rules were devised, from closer utilization of short lengths and narrow widths, from cutting dimension stock instead of inch boards, and other features of manufacture. Overrun is computed as a percentage increase on the log scale, an overrun of 10 per cent meaning that 1,000 feet log scale will cut 1,100 feet of lumber. Overturn, or Cost of Production. The overturn is the total production cost of each thousand board feet log scale or other unit. It includes depreciation and all operating costs. Over- turn plus margin for profit and risk plus stumpage price equals the selling price of the manufactured product. 86001—22 2 4 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING STUMPAGE APPRAISALS. BASIS OF APPRAISALS. Market Value Required by Law. The act of June 4, 1897, provides that National Forest timber may be sold at “ not less than the appraised value.” In applying this requirement, the aim of stumpage appraisals will be to ascertain the existing market value of the timber. Timber will ordinarily be appraised at the rates indicated for the most valu- able products to which it is suited and for which an established market exists. Where there is no market for saw, tie, or pole timber, but a local demand exists for cordwood or other less valuable products, sales are permitted at stumpage prices based upon the products actually marketable. Appraisals on Agricultural Lands. The standards and requirements herein outlined are applicable to timber on all classes of National Forest lands. On areas which will be listed as chiefly valuable for agriculture after the removal of the present stand, as on non- agricultural lands, the appraisal will be based upon the specific methods of operation suitable for the chance. Minimum Stumpage Rates. Minimum rates for each species are established by the Forester or district forester for every Forest area which has the same general market and manu- facturing conditions. They constitute upset prices applicable if appraisal in accordance with these instructions does not indicate higher values. Appraised Value. It is the duty of the appraiser to ascertain the value of the timber under the principles outlined in these instructions by a thorough examination and calculation. The results thus obtained will constitute the appraisal report and form a part of the permanent record. If he believes that this rate is inap- plicable and should not be recommended for the minimum for advertisement, it is because there is some factor which, in his judgment, has not been properly taken care of by the calculations. In such cases the appraiser should supple- ment the appraisal report by a statement clearly setting forth his reasons for recommending a different rate. With these data the officer who authorizes the advertisement can determine at what rate the timber should be offered for sale. This rate then becomes the appraised value of the timber. Fair Profit for the Operator. Subject to the minimum rates, National Forest stumpage will be regarded as worth the estimated selling value of its product less the estimated cost of pro- ducing that product and a fair margin for profit and risk to the operator. Appraisals should not offer large speculative profits. Operators on National Forests must be willing to cut and manufacture stumpage for a fair return, representing compensation for time and ability and an industrial rate on the capital required, which is protected by a reasonable margin against unforeseen losses. Profit is not guaranteed by the Forest Service; but the basis of all appraisals is a margin between cost and selling price under normal industrial conditions which will satisfy a prudent operator, his business situation and the advantages of buying Government stumpage being considered. It must not be overlooked that this margin will probably not be a clear return to the operator. A portion of it covers the risks incident to practically every lumbering operation. These are the possible and unforeseen losses which can APP RAISIN G STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 5 not be provided for in the appraisal, including the large element of chance in the lumber market. But a part of the estimated margin will normally be netted to the purchaser as actual profit. Intensive Study of Investments and Costs. National Forest stumpage must not be appraised by adopting current local prices, by uniform rates on the same Forest, or by guess work or hasty assump- tions. Appraisals should, on the contrary, be based upon intensive study of in- vestments, costs, and profits in each specific case. Each chance presents a prob- lem in itself. All of its elements must be worked out as fully as practicable, in accordance with the appraiser’s judgment of the most logical and efficient means of exploitation. Every necessary outlay of money should be caught up as far as possible and given proper weight. It is important not to overlook the less obvious invest- ments or costs, such as interest on preliminary improvements, superintendence, and the cost of employing and insuring labor. Equally thorough consideration should be given to all sources of income. It must not be assumed that certain costs will be offset approximately by certain indefinite returns and hence that both can be eliminated from the calculation. The effort of the appraiser should be to estimate as accurately as possible all expenditures and returns in the specific case before him. Exceptions to this rule will be permitted only in the case of small sales on parts of Forests having substantially the same conditions, for which schedules of stumpage prices have been established by supervisors under authority from the District Forester. (See “Schedule of prices for small sales,” p. 46.) Grouping and Standardizing Operating Costs. An analysis of the operating costs on each chance is essential in appraising its stumpage. As data on more operations and chances in each region are obtained and compared, however, it is often possible to standardize cost items or groups of items at figures generally applicable to going conditions in the industry, or to local types of logging or milling. These standards should be conservative, particularly with regard to fluctuations in operating costs from year to year on the same job. When accurately obtained, standard costs for specific items, like maintenance of logging equipment, or complete steps, like logging to rail or manufacturing, may be used if study of the chance indicates that they are applicable. Manufacturing costs for mills of each type and capac- ity are especially adapted to standardization. In any event standard costs form an excellent check on the calculation. Conservative Calculations. Calculations should be conservative, based upon average rather than maxi- mum efficiency in the region. Logging costs ordinarily vary 5 to 15 per cent from average figures because of the varying ability of different operators who may all be good, practical loggers. As a standard rule, costs should be based upon the work of the average operator rather than that of either the most or the least efficient. It is also important to allow for the usual fluctuation in operating costs from year to year on the same piece of work, by checking costs in going operations over several seasons. Conservative calculations are of special importance in small sales. (See p. 45.) Tentative offers made for the timber, whether higher or lower than the appraiser’s opinion of its value, should not influence the appraiser in making his investigations, calculations of investments, and of costs of operation. Its appraised value should be based on average efficiency, average market condi- tions. and a reasonable margin for profit and risk. 6 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Description of Logging Conditions and Methods. It is necessary not only that the appraiser satisfy his own judgment in fixing stumpage rates, but also that of the officer who passes upon his findings. To this end, a concise description of the controlling topographic, forest, and in- dustrial conditions and a brief account of the methods of operation proposed should be included in appraisal reports. This may be greatly condensed, but should include enough to explain and justify the calculations, particularly as regards the grade and value of the product and the investment required. Use of Appraiser’s Judgment. It is the business of the appraiser to apply these instructions to the condi- tions on the particular chance and report the results obtained. It is fully as important, however, that he check such results by his own judgment and busi- ness sense. He should consider fully other factors which ought to be taken into account in fixing prices, such as comparison between different chances or rapid deterioration of the timber. He should report definitely what in his judgment the prices should be, wholly independent of the calculation under these instructions, giving plainly the facts or considerations influencing this judgment. (For an extended discussion of this point see “ Safeguards and checks,” p. 46.) The same applies to the use of other methods of appraisal which are believed to be sounder in principle or more applicable to the case in hand. First carry out the prescribed calculation to a definite conclusion. Then, if desired, offset against it the results obtained by other methods with the reasons supporting them. i ANALYSIS OF A PROPOSED OPERATION. Boundaries and Cut of the Chance. The discussion of principles and methods will be facilitated by a bird’s-eye view of the appraiser’s work. After the estimate and topographic map are completed, the first steps are to determine the boundaries of the sale area, eliminating unmerchantable timber and ground on which logging is imprac- ticable ; the proportion of each species which can be cut as demonstrated by sample marking on the area or under approved methods of marking for the forest type; and the estimated cut by species, log grades (if customary), and lumber grades if the quality of the timber makes them important. In defining the boundaries of the cutting, it is necessary to approximate the amount of additional National Forest stumpage which will logically be handled by the same improvements ; and also the private stumpage which is under the control of a prospective purchaser or may be obtained by him and which forms part of the same chance. These factors directly affect the layout and deprecia- tion of fixed investments and may bear upon the timeliness and desirability of the sale. Most Important Factors. The factors whose careful working out is then most essential to an accurate appraisal are: (1) The quality of the timber and value of its product. (2) The investment required, involving a grasp of current lumbering methods and equipment and of the topographic layout and plan of operation. (3) Operating costs. In some regions the grade of the product is the single factor of greatest importance in appraisals for large sales; but in other regions, where there is no great variation in the quality of the timber, logging investments and costs are the most important factors affecting stumpage values. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 7 Layout of the Operation. It is first necessary to decide upon the general methods of logging which should be employed, the size and type of manufacturing plant, if one is re- quired, and the size, annual output, and duration of the operation. The loca- tion of the main artery of log transportation, whether by railroad, drivable stream, sleigh road, or flume, then follows ; and the projection of its principal feeders, such as logging spurs, chutes, pole and other roads, forming the complete system of log transportation. Judging the quality of stumpage and a clear grasp of the layout of logging improvements are the most important requisites of accurate valuation. From the approximate location of landings or banking grounds on the main line of transportation or its feeders, the appraiser should block out the chance into logging units for which costs from stump to landing need to be computed separately on account of variations in the character of the ground or timber. Investments in Logging Improvements. The appraiser is now ready to estimate the cost of transportation improve- ments from landing to mill and of logging improvements from stump to landing. Working these fixed investments out, unit by unit, he should estimate the initial outlay required to put the operation under way ; then the additional sums which must be expended from time to time as logging is extended into additional blocks. He should determine approximately how long each improve- ment, whether a spur grade, chute, sleigh road, or splash dam, will be in use. On a railroad chance, for example, a certain mileage of steel rails, picked up and relaid on spur after spur, may meet the requirements of log transportation for a considerable period, requiring additions only as the actual mileage in use at the same time must be increased to reach the less accessible timber. This represents a stable investment continued with little change throughout the operation. On the other hand, the cost of grading a spur and laying track for logging out a single gulch may be invested for but two or three years, after which the spur is abandoned. There may thus be frequent expansions or con- tractions of the investment in woods improvements. Residual or Wrecking Values. The next requirement for the appraisal is the residual or wrecking value of each improvement at the end of its use in the sale; hence the annual rate at which the original investment must be depreciated. This leads easily to the investment on which profit is due and to the average yearly depreciation. Investments in Equipment. The determination of fixed investments, residual or. wrecking values, and yearly depreciation must be repeated for transportation and logging equipment, such as rolling stock, donkey engines, teams, and trucks. The first cost of the various items of machinery and apparatus must be ascertained, the rate at which they are worn out, and the time when each kind of equipment must be increased or can be reduced as the operation is extended over the entire chance. Investment in Manufacturing Plant. A like computation must be made of investments in land, buildings, and equipment for the manufacturing plant where one is required. This is often the most permanent part of the enterprise. Its depreciation requires an ap- proximation of the additional timber, public or private, which is accessible and should contribute to its operating life. Determination of Operating Costs. The next duty of the appraiser is to estimate the cost of maintaining the various parts, of the plant in working condition. This is a current operating f 8 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. cost, but from its nature must be considered in connection with the character and durability of each structure or class of equipment. The calculation is then ready for the remaining operating costs, chiefly labor, for logging, transporta- tion, and manufacture. These must include any special or additional costs arising from contract requirements of the Forest Service, such as brush disposal or cutting snags. The calculation should be carried through all details of the business, however remote from the woods. General expenses for superin- tendence, lumber sales, clerical and other office ■ charges, taxes on improve- ments and equipment, on logs in transit and on lumber in the yard, fire insur- ance on the portions of the plant and stock of lumber and logs which are normally insured by conservative operators, and liability insurance for injuries to labor are all items which must be estimated for in operations to which they apply. Determination of Working Capital. With the operating costs before him, the appraiser is in a position to approxi- mate the working capital, as distinct from fixed investment, which is required to carry the business with its current charges and its periodic returns from sales of lumber. This involves particularly an estimate of the yard stock which must be carried on hand in the normal course of business, or the average length of time during which the costs put into lumber must be carried by the operator before he is reimbursed by its sale. Lumber Selling Prices and Overrun. Finally, the mill-run selling price of each species to be cut must be ascertained, together with the value of lath, slabs, and any other by-products whose manufac- ture may be practicable. Mill overrun for the class of timber must also be determined and, in sales of saw timber, costs throughout the whole operation and all returns put in terms of log scale. When these estimates are reduced to final terms, the appraiser will have before him : (1) The amount of money required for the business, in fixed improvements and equipment and in working funds. (2) The part of this capital which must be depreciated; that is, which is not returned in tangible assets of some form at the conclusion of the sale. (3) The operating costs, in terms of thousand board feet, log scale, from the stump to the sale of lumber, or in terms of the appropriate unit of measure if the product is not lumber. (4) The value of the lumber and by-products manufactured from the average thousand board feet, log scale, of each species, or the corresponding unit of value if the product is not lumber. FIXED INVESTMENT, DEPRECIATION, AND RESIDUAL OR WRECKING VALUE. Inclusion of All Necessary Investments. All investments which will actually be required in logging and manufacturing a body of National Forest stumpage should be estimated as closely as practicable in the appraisal. Items should not be omitted or added because of uncertainty as to the methods of operation which will be adopted by the purchaser. All improvements and equipment necessary, in the judgment of the appraiser, for the most logical handling of the stumpage should be included, and no others. Commissaries and Boarding Houses. Commissaries and boarding houses are usually conducted as independent enter- prises, on a separate cost-paying or revenue-producing basis. They seldom form APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 9 an integral part of lumbering operations. Investments in buildings and equip- ment for these purposes which it is practicable to segregate will not ordinarily be taken into account in stumpage calculations. They may be included, however, if these features of the business are not handled independently. Where there is a loss on board, whether at the mill or in the woods, it should be provided for in the estimate of operating costs. Mill Sites and Rights of Way. Expenditures for mill sites and rights of way are legitimate investments and should be included in the appraisal. Mill sites may have a speculative value apart from what they are worth for manufacturing lumber. This should be disregarded as far as possible, and the investment based upon a fair appraisal of the land for milling only. Mill sites will not ordinarily be depreciated, as it may fairly be assumed that the unimproved ground will have the same value at the end of the operation as at its beginning. Size and Type of Plants. It is the policy of the Forest Service to favor small and medium-sized opera- tions as far as practicable. Selection of the size and type of plants and invest- ment calculations will be based upon such operations wherever they are practi- cable, and also upon methods of logging and manufacture tried out and estab- lished in the locality. Within these limitations, the investments taken should be based upon the most logical and efficient methods of exploitation. This ap- plies to the size, type, and output of sawmills, the character and amount of logging equipment, and the nature of logging improvements. If larger opera- tions are clearly the most practicable and logical, stumpage prices must be appraised accordingly. (See “Appraisals for small sales,” p. 45.) Borrowed and Unborrowed Capital. No distinction should be made between investments of borrowed and unbor- rowed capital. For the purpose of stumpage appraisals, capital obtained by credit does the same work and is entitled to the same return as capital owned by the operator. The cost of obtaining capital is one of the elements entering into the margin for profit ; and where this cost is high, as in the case of exces- sive local interest rates, the margin for profit and risk may properly be in- creased. (See p. 39.) Classification of Investments. The following classification of fixed investments will serve as a general stand- ard for the Forest Service. Not all of the items will be required in every appraisal, and further subdivisions may be desirable in the more intensive and detailed calculations. The classification should thus be adjusted to fit special conditions, while preserving the main headings and their arrangement. I. Investment — Logging. (1) Logging improvements — Stump to landing — First cost of — a. Chutes. b. Roads. c. Slides. d. Landing improvements, or e. Other structures used in skidding, hauling, or landing. (2) Logging equipment — Stump to landing — First cost of— a. Teams. b. Sleds. c. Big wheels. d. Bummers or go-devils. e. Donkey engines or steam skidders. 10 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. I. Investment-^Logging — Continued. (2) Logging equipment — Stump, to landing — First cost of — Continued. f. Trucks, caterpillars, etc. g. Steam or horse loaders. h. Woods tools, and i. Any other logging equipment or appliances. (3) Transportation improvements — Landing to mill, or mill to railroad shipping point — First cost of — a. Railroads, including — (a) Spurs and sidings. (b) Roundhouses, coal bunkers, tanks, and other perma- nent structures. b. Flumes. c. Stream improvements. d. Roads, or e. Other transportation improvements. (4) Transportation equipment — Landing to mill, or mill to shipping point — First cost of — a. Railroad rolling stock, track tools, etc. b. Marine equipment, tugs, bateaux, etc., and driving tools. c. Teams, trucks and harness, sleighs, traction engines, gasoline trucks, or other equipment, including hand tools, used in transporting timber from landing to mill, or mill to shipping point. (5) Woods camps and other buildings, together with water system. (6) Camp equipment — a. Kitchen and mess equipment. b. Bedding, heating equipment, and camp fittings. (7) Repair equipment — Carpenter, blacksmith, and machine shops, etc.. II. Investment — Manufacturing : a. Site. b. Pond and dam; other site improvements. c. Sawmill. (a) Building. (&) Equipment. (c) Power. ( d ) Lath mill, etc. d. Finishing plant. (a) Building. (&) Equipment. (c) Power. e. Dry kiln. f. Waste burner. g. Sheds, docks, platforms, pile bottoms. h. Office and miscellaneous buildings. i. Yard equipment. j. Light, fire protection, etc. Investments for Remanufacturing Plants Excluded. Mill investments will include only site, equipment, and structures necessary to place the product at the point where its selling prices are computed. In- vestments in remanufacturing plants, such as box factories, will not ordinarily be included. Similarly, investments in power-house equipment or the like should be adjusted to exclude expenditures primarily to aid in remanufactur- ing. (See “ State of manufacture and shipment,” p. 31.) APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 11 Depreciation of Fixed Investments. Depreciation is the shrinkage in the value of fixed investments on account of reduced utility or worth. Loss of value may be due to ordinary wear and tear, physical deterioration, or inadequacy for the current needs of an operation ; or to the exhaustion of available timber supplies. In theory depreciation is a certain amount paid out of the proceeds of the business each year on the invest- ment. The best concrete illustration is a sinking fund withdrawn from the proceeds of the business at regular intervals, deposited in a special account, and used to pay off bonds as they become due. In stumpage appraisals depreciation will be reckoned as if charged off and withdrawn from the business at the end of each year. It is a sum, prorated over every thousand feet of timber cut, which in the course of the operation pays back the reduction in value of the fixed investments. Rate of Depreciation. The rate of depreciation varies widely with the nature of the investment and character of its use. It is controlled by different factors in the case of the two main classes of fixed investments, viz, improvements and equipment. The rate of depreciation of each structure or improvement depends primarily upon the amount of timber which it can profitably be used to log. Its life is fixed by the time required to log the stumpage available. If all of the tributary timber is taken out during a particular sale, the improvement will have no residual value. Other structures favorably located with reference to large supplies of timber, like sawmills and logging railroads, may have a very long life. Their rate of depreciation will be correspondingly slow. Equipment, on the other hand, can be moved from place to place. It includes tools, steam logging machinery, cables, railroad steel, teams, and rolling stock. Its depreciation depends primarily upon its resistance to wear and tear, or the length of its ordinary working life. Current industrial experience is the safest guide in calculating the depreciation of equipment. The average working life of logging teams, for example, is commonly reckoned as 5 years. Steel rails are usually rated at a service of 20 years; but their depreciation during the first 10 years is at a much slower rate than during the second decade. This is on account of the market for second-hand rails which have been used but a few years. Donkey engines, on the other hand, have a very unstable value after any period of use, and must be depreciated more rapidly. The usual life of sawmill equipment is put at 15 to 20 years, but can be extended with higher charges for maintenance. Ordinarily more data are available on the deprecia- tion of logging equipment, such as horses or trucks, than on mill machinery, and its depreciation can be more readily determined than the depreciation of manufacturing equipment. Obsolescence is a much more important factor in the manufacturing plant; machines are often replaced with better and more modern ones long before they are worn out. Calculation of Depreciation. Depreciation is usually reckoned as an annual percentage of the total shrink- age in the value of the investment. This is frequently termed “ straight line ” depreciation. A donkey engine with a life of 8 years and no value at the end of that time is thus reckoned as depreciating 12£ per cent of its first cost every year. A logging chute which can be used three years and will have no value thereafter will necessarily be depreciated 33£ per cent annually. A sawmill costing $30,000, to be run for 10 years and valued at $10,000 at the end of that period, will depreciate 10 per cent of the difference annually, or $2,000. 86001—22 3 12 AJPP RAISIN G STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL PORESTS. The standard method followed in Forest Service appraisals will be to deter- mine : (1) The shrinkage in each item of investment from first cost to residual or wrecking value at the end of the operation, or whenever it goes out of use. (2) The annual depreciation — that is, the total shrinkage divided by the number of years in the operation. If an investment is in use but part of an operation, its depreciation is thus averaged for simplicity over the whole period instead of the years of actual service only. (3) The depreciation charge per thousand board feet log scale, or other unit, found by dividing the annual depreciation by the yearly cut. Depreciation will always be prorated on log scale rather than mill tally. The same result is se- cured by dividing the total depreciation of the investment by the entire esti- mated cut. Depreciation may, as conditions require, be figured on two bases— (1) the physical life of the plant and (2) the economic life of the plant. The physical life of a plant is the number of years that it will do efficient work. The economic life is determined by dividing the amount of timber avail- able by the expected annual cut. This is useful as a basis for calculation only if the economic life is shorter than the physical life. If a sawmill is so located that only a limited amount of timber is available, its useful life is limited to the time required to manufacture that timber. If this period is shorter than the physical life, depreciation should be computed on the basis of the economic life. The mill machinery, however, would have a wrecking value. In appraisals which involve estimating the cost of new manufacturing plants, the type and size of mill and, consequently, its cost must bear a prac- tical relation to the amount of timber available. A mill site with 1,000,000,000 feet board measure tributary to it might justify a manufacturing investment of $500,000 or more, but a similar milling investment for 200,000,000 feet board measure would give an unreasonable depreciation charge against the timber. Physical life of equipment and structures. — The following table will serve as a guide in figuring depreciation in logging and milling operations. Different values may be used in localities where experience has shown that the values given in the table are not applicable. Depreciation on some investments will vary considerably in different regions. For example, horses can not ordinarily be profitably used longer than four years in a rough region, but in a smooth region horses may be used five years or longer. The length of the logging season also has an effect. The conditions in specific cases may indicate the use of wrecking values different from those given in the table. For example, lumber sheds and warehouses often have a considerable wrecking value if they are within or close to permanent towns. Item. Reasonable physical life. Auto trucks Box and door factories Blacksmith outfit Big wheels . Cables, steel, mainlines Cables, steel, back or supported lines. . Camp equipment, bedding staves, etc. Camps, permanent Camps, portable Camps, car Cdokhouse equipment Chutes Butch ovens Dams Dry kilns Fire-protective system 3 to 4 years 15 to 20 years 4 to 5 years ....... 3 to 5 years I to 1 year 1 to 2 years 3 to 5 years Period to be in use 7 to 10 years 10 to 12 years 3 to 5 years Period to be in use do do 15 to 20 years do Reasonable wreck- ing value. 10 to 20 per cent. Do. Negligible. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. 10 to 20 per cent. Negligible. Do. Do. -L/U. Do. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 13 Item. Reasonable physical life. Reasonable wreck- ing value. Flumes Furniture and fixtures Gasoline saws, etc Hammers, cant hooks, etc Horses and harness Locomotive cranes and steam shovels, Locomotives, rod Locomotives, geared s Log cars, light 1 Log cars, heavy, standard Lumber sheds and warehouses Machine shop Plank roads Planing mills Pond improvements Power plant (not hydroelectric) Railroad steel, 56 pounds or heavier. . Railroad steel, light Railroad buildings Rail yard systems Railroad grades Refuse burners Sawmills, permanent Sawmills, small portable Saws, axes, wedges, etc Steam loaders Steam skidders Stream improvements Telephone and lighting systems Tote or freight roads Tractors . Wagons, trucks, etc Water and sewer system Yard improvements and equipment . . Period to be in use. 10 years 4 to 5 years 1 to 2 years 4 to 6 years 10 to 15 years 15 to 20 years 10 to 15 years 8 to 10 years 10 to 12 years 15 to 20 years do Period to be in use. 15 to 20 years .... .do do do 12 to 15 years Period to be in use. 15 to 20 years Period to be in use. 10 to 15 years 15 to 20 years 8 to 12 years 3 to 6 months 10 to 12 years 8 to 10 years Periods to be in use. 15 to 20 years Period to be in use. 4 to 5 years 3 to 5 years 15 to 20 years 7 to 10 years Negligible. Do. Do. Do. 10 to 20 per cent. Do. Do. Do. Negligible. 10 to 15 per cent. Negligible. 10 to 20 per cent. Negligible. 10 to 20 per cent. Negligible. Do. 20 per cent. 15 to 20 per cent. Negligible. 5 to 10 per cent. Negligible. Do. 10 to 20 per cent. Do. Negligible. 10 to 15 per cent. Do. Negligible. Do. Do. 10 per cent. Negligible. Do. Do Determination of residual or wrecking value. — Residual or wrecking value is an uncertain factor. It should be used only where such a value will unques- tionably exist at the end of the operation or sale contract. If no additional timber can be handled by the plant, it is obvious that a wrecking value only will remain. Railroads which will become common carriers with permanent traffic other than timber form an exception to this rule. Railroad investments under such conditions should not ordinarily be considered as logging investments. If it is required that the road become a common carrier, a reasonable freight rate should be allowed in the appraisal instead of including the road as an invest- ment. The rate should be conservative and should correspond with rates estab- lished on branch lines where the operating and traffic conditions are similar. This rate must be equitable in consideration of the investment and operating conditions. However, in cases where railroads have to become common carriers in order to secure rights of way, but it is evident that there will not be sufficient traffic to maintain them permanently as common carriers, they should be con- sidered as investments. The investment in this case should be prorated over all traffic which the road will handle during the operating period. Wrecking values, determined in accordance with the above table, often have a small effect on the calculated stumpage value. In many cases the reduction in depreciation by their inclusion will be practically offset by the increase in the average profit-bearing investment. Timber upon Which Investments Should Be Depreciated. A logging chance or natural operating unit, whether all National Forest timber or largely privately owned, should usually be considered as one unit of operation in arriving at the average investment and the average annual depreci- tion. As far as practicable, it is the policy of the Forest Service to base depreciation upon the full operating life of the structure or equipment as fixed by normal 14 APPRAISING STUMP AGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. industrial standards. . Many timber sales are made for short periods which represent but a part of the efficient life of the mill, railroad, or other improve- ments. Future sales to such plants can not be guaranteed. The operator must protect himself in competition with other bidders for remaining blocks of stump- age tributary to his improvements. It is, however, the policy of the Forest Service to reserve from sale additional bodies of timber tributary to plants con- structed in connection with short-term contracts until the initial chance is cut out. As far as practicable such reservations will be sufficient to insure the plant a normal operating life. Where additional National Forest timber is available, whether specifically reserved by the terms of sale or not, it should bear a proportionate part of the total depreciation of the plant. Private timber which it is reasonable to believe the operator will handle and so located as to be most logically and economically logged by the same set of improvements should also carry its proportionate part of the total depreciation. This will hold whether the operation is chiefly in private timber, the purchase •of small tracts of Government stumpage being a secondary feature, or whether a National Forest sale forms its principal supply and small quantities of private timber are available which it is reasonable to suppose the operator can secure. The bearing of private stumpage upon the depreciation of investments must therefore be carefully weighed. If new mills or other improvements are to be constructed, a reasonable life in accordance with prevailing industrial standards will be allowed where sufficient Government timber, or private timber which there is reasonable likelihood of obtaining, is available. The total depreciation of improvements which can be used in logging and manufacturing such additional timber will be distributed over the entire amount of stumpage thus roughly blocked out to obtain the depreciation charge per thousand board feet. If no additional timber is available. — If no additional timber is available, the relation of the equipment to the amount of timber to be logged or manufactured must be considered, including any special factors, such as temporary main-line transportation. (See p. 12.) After deciding what kinds of equipment or im- provements are justifiable under the circumstances, investments in railroad steel, locomotives, donkey engines, portable or semiportable mills, etc., which are usually sold or moved to a new location, should be depreciated on the basis of their actual wrecking or sale value at the termination of the operation. The average investment should be determined with full recognition of this wrecking value. If additional timber is available. — If additional bodies of timber are available, the average investment, annual depreciation, and residual value should be de- termined for the entire operation instead of figuring the residual value and the average investment separately for each block of timber or operating period. To illustrate: A mill is to be built costing $90,000. There is sufficient timber available for a 15-year operation at an annual capacity of 20,000,000 feet. The estimated value of the site and wrecking value of the machinery at the end of the 15-year period is $15,000. The total depreciation is $75,000, making an annual depre- ciation of $5,000. The National Forest timber consists of 20,000,000 feet so located that it should be cut first. This will supply the mill one year. If the remaining timber is disregarded, the computation of the average investment, using the formula given on page 17, would be $90,000+$5/)00+$85,000 =$90 000 average investment. APPRAISING STUMP AGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 15 If the National Forest timber was so located that it should be cut during the last year of the operation, the results would be : $20,000+$5,000+$15,000 _ _ 2 =$20,000 average investment. If the entire tract was National Forest timber and was included in one sale, the results would be as follows: $90,m+.T5^00+$15.0«)0=$B5 000 average investment. If the average investment is determined separately for different operating periods throughout the life of the plant, there is an unreasonably wide difference in the average investment for each period, which is due to the residual value. These wide differences would be reflected in the stumpage values. It is reason- able, as a rule, to determine the average investment and the average depre- ciation for the entire operating period, and as a standard practice this will be done in appraisals, under such conditions as are outlined in the examples given, particularly with investments in manufacturing plants and railroads. (See also “ Use of standard manufacturing costs and depreciation,” in the following paragraph.) Use of Standard Manufacturing Costs and Depreciation. In regions where it is practicable to standardize manufacturing costs by types of mills, the average figures covering the total cost of manufacture, depre- ciation included, may be used in appraisals if applicable to the specific timber being appraised. Standard manufacturing costs should be collected for differ- ent sizes and different types of mills. If these costs are used in appraisals, manufacturing investments may be disregarded and a margin for profit and risk figured on the standard overturn or total manufacturing costs, including depre- ciation. The use of standard costs in this way is especially desirable when sales are made to existing plants that have been run a number of years at the time of sale. In many cases these plants were constructed primarily for the manufacture of privately owned timber. The original cost may have been wiped out by a depreciation charge. There may remain several years’ supply of National Forest timber. A practicable method of handling appraisals under such conditions is to disregard the mill investments and allow a reasonable mar- gin on the standard manufacturing costs, including a reasonable depreciation burden. (See “Use of both the investment and the overturn methods in same appraisal,” p. 41. Many Forest Service sales consist of small bodies of timber. They represent only a small portion of the annual cut of the mills to which the timber goes. To estimate the cost of a new mill, or to figure the present residual value of the mill that already exists for each one of these sales is often less desirable than the use of standard manufacturing costs. If several existing plants are possible competitors for a chance, the use of standard costs and depreciation is fair to all, and is often more practical than to determine an average residual value of the initial investments. The standard costs, however, should be checked sufficiently often to make certain that they are currently applicable. The margin for profit and risk in manufacturing, in money terms per thousand feet of lumber,* must be com- parable with the similar margin determined by the use of a reasonable aver- age profit-bearing investment. Profit-Bearing Period of Investments Fixed by Actual Use. Fixed investments are seldom made in one lump at the outset of an operation. They usually begin in advance of cutting, depending upon the amount of pre- 16 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. liminary construction which is required. In operations of any size and length additional investments become necessary from time to time, for railroad exten- sions, road or chute construction, more logging equipment, and the like. The replacement of major items of worn-out equipment, such as teams, rolling stock, and steam logging machinery, is an additional fixed investment. (See p. 2.) Many investments, furthermore, are used during only a part of the total operation. Investments are entitled to profit only from the date when they are actually made. Also, investments in improvements or equipment which are abandoned or worn out before the end of the operation should be cut out of the profit- bearing capital at the proper time. Profit on invested money should thus be restricted to the period of its actual use. This can be done most conveniently by prorating short-term investments over the entire operation in making up the average profit-bearing capital. Interest Charges on Preliminary Investments. Interest should be allowed on money invested in improvements for one or more years before cutting begins. The interest which has thus accumulated on preliminary investments on the date when their use begins will be treated in Service appraisals as an addition to the investment itself. Simple interest at the current bank rate will be used. If two years are required for the con- struction of improvements before beginning cutting, the amounts to be invested each year should be approximated. Interest for two years on the first year’s expenditures and for one year on those of the second year should be added. Calculation of Annual Depreciation and Average Investment. Uniform methods of calculating fixed investments and their depreciation are of obvious necessity. To this end, standard forms of tabulation will be of service. The essential facts to be determined are (1) the average profit-bearing capital at work in the business, and (2) the average annual depreciation of the fixed investments. It is of special importance to work out accurately the effect upon these two amounts of additional investments in improvements or equipment made from time to time and used during but a portion of the operation ; and similarly of the retirement at various intervals of parts of the investment which are worn out or whose use is terminated. By separate years . — The most exact method is to carry for each year of the operation (1) the investment required at the beginning of the year, (2) its de- preciation during the year, and (3) additional investments necessary at the end of the year. The estimated depreciation during each year is deducted from the investment at its beginning. This figure, with the addition of any new outlays required during or at the end of the year, is the investment in the business at the beginning of the following year. Thus is obtained the profit- bearing capital at the beginning of each year, with the average for the entire operation; the depreciation during each year and for the whole period; and the wrecking or residual value at its end. By investment items. — A simpler and quicker method is to calculate for each improvement or purchase of equipment the yearly depreciation and the average profit-bearing investment, both prorated over the entire operation. Yearly de- preciation is determined by dividing the total shrinkage in the value of the improvement or equipment by the number of years in the operation. The average profit-bearing investment is determined by the following formula : One-half of the sum of the initial investment and its residual or wrecking value multiplied by a fraction whose numerator is the number of years during which the particular improvement or equipment is in use and whose denomina- APPRAISIN' G STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 17 tor is the total number of years in the operation, plus one-half of the yearly depreciation. This formula may be expressed as follows: Let I represent initial cost; r the residual value; n the number of years in use; y the number of years planned for the operation ; and d the average annual depreciation. Then ,n d 2 Xy + 2 equals average fixed investment. Wherever depreciation takes place in a straight line — that is, at a uniform rate annually during the period of use — this method yields the same results as a calculation by separate years. If depreciation does not progress at a uniform rate throughout the period of use, it yields a' different and usually a lower average investment. A uniform rate of depreciation may be fairly assumed, however, in practically all logging and milling investments, and this is the more common industrial practice. The addition of one-half of the annual depreciation in obtaining the average profit-bearing capital under each item of investment is based on the assumption that depreciation is charged off at the end of each year rather than currently during the year. This is equivalent to calculating the average investments as at the beginning of each of the respective years in the operation rather than at the middle of the year. To illustrate : A $10,000 investment is to be wholly depreciated in 10 years ; at $1,000 annually. The successive investments at the beginning and middle of each year are: Beginning. Middle. First year $10,000 9.000 8.000 1,000 $9, 500 8.500 7.500 500 Second year Third year Tenth year Total 55, 000 5,500 50, 000 5, 000 Average An average for the beginning of each year is obtained under the formula by taking one-half the sum of the initial investment and residual value ($10,000+0), together with one-half of the annual depreciation, $1,000. The addition of one-half of the annual depreciation thus results in a figure repre- senting the investment during a 12-month interval in the exact center of the operating period, or the true mathematical average. This treatment of depreciation is not strictly applicable to all operations. It is, however, the more conservative basis of determining average investments and will therefore be followed uniformly in Service appraisals. The calculation of average depreciation and profit-bearing capital by each investment item will be of more general service because of its shorter and simpler form than the other method of calculation, by separate years. An illustration follows: In a 10-year operation, an investment of $10,500 in logging equipment is required for the first year’s operation. At the end of the first year, $1,200 worth of additional equipment must be purchased; and at the end of the fifth 18 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. year, $1,800 worth must be procured. This completes the logging equipment required for the entire 10 years. All of the machinery is depreciated at the rate of 10 per cent annually while in actual use. The calculation of the average profit-bearing investment in this equipment is as follows : Investment and depreciation — Logging equipment. Years of use. Initial invest- ment. Yearly deprecia- tion. Wrecking value. Average profit- bearing invest- ment. 10 $10,500 1,200 1,800 $1,050 108 90 $5, 775 648 720 9 $120 900 5 Total 13,500 1,248 1,020 7,143- The annual depreciation of the first item is one-tenth of the initial invest- ment ; of the second, one-tenth of a total shrinkage of $1,080 ; of the third, one- tenth of a total shrinkage of $900. The average interest-bearing investment under the first item is — 10 10,500 1,050 10X 2 + 2 under the second— 9 w 1,200+120 108 10X" 2 : + 2 under the third — 5 _ 1,800+900 90 10X 2 + 2 The estimated cost of roadbed, ties, and laying steel for the fijrst year’s logging is $4,500. This portion of the railroad will be in use throughout the entire operation. Subsequent investments must be made in roadbed, ties, and labor for laying rails. There will be no residual or wrecking value for these investments. The calculation of the average investment, with the estimated period of use of each item, is as follows : Years of use. Initial invest- ment. Yearly deprecia- tion. Average profit- bearing in- vestment. Years of use. Initial invest- ment. Yearly deprecia- tion. Average profit- bearing in vestment 10 $4,500 1,800 1, 100 1,600 2,100 1,500 $450 180 110 160 210 150 $2, 475 270 110 240 210 450 2 $2,200 1, 700 2,500 $220 170 250 $330 170 375 2 1.. 1 2 2 Total 19, 000 1, 900 4, 630 1 5 The average interest-bearing investment is computed for each item, as 10/10, 2/10, 1/10, etc., of one-half of the initial outlay, this being a 10-year operation,, plus one-half of the yearly depreciation. The following illustration shows the application of this method to a compli- cated railroad investment, parts of which are made and withdrawn at irregular intervals : A main railroad must be built at the outset of a 20-year operation, at a cost of $72,000. Two years will be required for its construction before cutting begins* APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 19 approximately one-fourth of the amount being expended during the first year and three-fourths during the second year. Interest on these amounts at 6 per cent ($18,000 for two years and $54,000 for one year) will be included as part of the initial investment, which thus aggregates $77,400. It will be fully depre- ciated in the 20 years’ operation. The main railroad suffices for logging during the first two years. Three miles of spurs are then required, to be used four years and abandoned. The estimated cost is $2,000 per mile for roadbed, ties, and labor and $2,400 per mile for steel. Five miles of additional spurs will then be necessary. This will necessitate the purchase of steel for 2 miles, at $2,400, and an outlay for road- bed, ties, and labor for 5 miles, estimated at $1,800 per mile. These spurs are to be used four years, by which time the timber tributary to them will be cut out. Six miles of spurs into other units must then be graded and laid. The road- bed and labor in track laying are estimated at $1,500 per mile. One additional mile of steel must be purchased at a cost of $2,400. This section of track will supply logs for five years. Extensions aggregating 3 miles must then be pro- vided for the last five years’ logging, the 6 miles previously constructed remain- ing in use. The extensions are estimated to cost $2,000 per mile for roadbed, labor, etc., and $2,400 for steel. The investments in roadbed will be without value at the end of the operation and must therefore be wholly depreciated. All investments in steel rails will be depreciated at 5 per cent annually, leaving a wrecking value, for second-hand rails, in the case of steel used during but a portion of the operation. These investments may be tabulated as follows: Years of use. Initial in- vestment. Yearly de- preciation. Wrecking value. Average profit-bear- ing invest- ment. 20 $77,400 1 6, 000 2 7,200 19,000 2 4,800 19.000 2 2, 400 16.000 2 7,200 $3, 870 300 324 450 168 450 60 300 90 $40, 635 750 3,726 1, 125 2,268 2,475 930 900 1, 620 4 18 $720 4 14 1,440 10 10 1, 200 5 5 5,400 Total 129, 000 6,012 8,760 54,429 i Roadbed, etc. * Steel. Of the investments made at the beginning of the third year, for example, the roadbed is in use four years and the steel 18 years. The average yearly invest- steel 18 7200+720 324 20X 2 + 2 * 6000 . 300 , — 2 — 1— 2~; for the It is seen that while $129,000 is - invested in the ment for this piece of roadbed is therefore computed as operation at different times, the average capital at work in the business and entitled to profit is $54,429. The entire $129,000 is returned, however, by a depreciation charge of $6,012 annually for 20 years and the wrecking value of $8,760 at the end of the operation. It will be noted that the dates when particular investments are made and withdrawn are of no consequence. The telling factor is the number of years during which each investment is at work. 86001—22 4 20 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. OPERATING COSTS. Standard Classification. The following classification of operating costs will be used as standard by the Forest Service. Not all of its items are applicable in every appraisal and further subdivision may be necessary in some instances. The main classifica- tion should, however, be uniformly used. Classification of operating costs. 1. Logging. (1) Stump to landing. a. Felling. b. Bucking. c. Swamping. d. Trimming, peeling, and sniping (included in swamping or yarding as case may be). e. Skidding or yarding. f. Hauling, chuting, roading, etc. g. Decking or piling at yards. h. Maintenance — supplies and repairs. i. Supervision.1 (2) Landing to mill. a. Loading, breaking out landings, or other work at landing itself. b. Scaling. c. Railroading, hauling, driving, burning, or other transportation charges. d. Unloading at mill pond or yard. ' e. Maintenance-— supplies and repairs. f. Supervision.1 (3) Extra costs of logging under Forest Service regulations. a. Cutting of timber under protection requirements. (a) Cost of cutting diseased or weed trees. (b) Cost of cutting snags. b. Slash disposal. (ft) Brush piling, or lopping and scattering. (b) Burning piled or loose slash. (c) Clearing firebreaks. ( d ) Burning slash as cut. 2. Manufacture, mill pond to f. o. b. cars. (1) Sawmill. ft. Pond, handling logs in pond and putting on jack chain (labor). b. Sawing, from log on jack chain until lumber leaves trimmers (labor) . c. Sorting, carrying lumber to transfer chains, buggies or rolls, in- cluding grading and tallying (labor). d. Power (labor). e. Maintenance. Supplies. Repairs (labor and materials). f. Millwright (labor). g. Filing (labor). Ji. Oiling (labor). Use one supervision item for logging all woods work if preferred. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 2] 2. Manufacture, mill pond to f. o. b. cars — Continued. (2) Yard. a. Transportation to yard, taking lumber from transfer chains, bug- gies, or rolls, or on delivery from kiln or planer, to piles. 1). Handling, piling, etc., exclusive of loading (labor). c. Maintenance. Supplies. Repairs (labor and materials). (3) Kiln. a. Transportation to kiln. &. Handling (labor). c. Power (labor). d. Maintenance. Supplies. Repairs (labor and materials). (4) Planing mill. а. Transportation to planing mill. б. Handling (labor). c. Power (labor). d. Maintenance. Supplies. Repairs (labor and materials). (5) Sheds.2 a. Transportation to sheds. &. Handling (labor). (6) Loading. a. Transportation to cars, including taking down yard piles, repiling in cars, etc. 1). Handling (labor). 3. Sales. (1) Traveling salesmen. (2) Commissions. (3) Advertisements. (4) Retail yards.3 4. Taxes and insurance. (1) Taxes. a. On permanent improvements, including franchise taxes. &. On movable equipment. c. On logs. d. On lumber (yard stock). (2) Insurance. a. . On logs. &. On lumber. c. On permanent improvements. d. On equipment. e. Liability insurance for injuries to workmen. 5. General expense. (1) Cruising and layout of operation, surveys, etc. (2) Protection of sale area from fire. 2 Include under “ Yard ” if desirable. 3 Tbe operation should be carried through to retail yards only when the organization of a specific plant makes this necessary to a proper analysis of costs and returns. As far as practicable, returns will be based upon wholesale prices f. o. b. cars at nearest common carrier shipping point. (See p. 31.) 22 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 5. General expense — Continued. (3) Office expenses. a. Timekeeping. &. Clerical help. c. Stationery, postage, telegrams, etc. d. Rentals, lighting, water rents, telephone service, etc. e. Association dues, etc. (4) Fees and other expenses in employing labor. (5) Supervision: Salaries and expenses of administrative force, including foremen whose time is not wholly chargeable to specific operations. Necessity for Ascertaining all Operating Costs. The chief purpose of this detailed enumeration is to cause appraisers to study all features of an operation thoroughly and take all necessary costs into account. Caution under this head applies particularly to supervisory costs, selling ex- penses, the cost of employing and insuring labor and like items which do not appear on the face of current work. Study of running operations is the only safe guide to many of these items. Their inclusion in the calculation in accord- ance with prevailing industrial conditions and practice is essential to an accurate appraisal. Use of Conservative Figures. Costs should be fairly and liberally reckoned. Men watching going operations are inclined to figure too closely, taking standards which are not practicable in a season’s run and overlooking the delays and losses of close connection which occur between constituent portions of the work. The costs used should be prac- ticable under continuous operation for a long period. They should check with going figures at which operations for a season or more are being conducted by reasonably efficient concerns. The aim will be to strike a fair average under which the inefficient operator must stand the losses due to his inefficiency, while the exceptionally able lumberman will make a higher profit on account of his special skill or ability. * Checks from Jobbing Rates and Going Operations. A detailed classification of operating costs should be presented in the ap- praiser’s report. Checks by sections of the work, such as the cost of loading, hauling, and landing logs on a given .haul, or the total cost of logging or milling, should be obtained from going operations in similar timber wherever possible. Current jobbing rates, if available, also serve as useful checks. Any such rates or average costs must, of course, be authentic. Milling costs tend to be much more uniform over a Considerable region and much more susceptible of standardization than logging costs. In many manu- facturing districts, with well-defined types of mills, average figures may be had for the total cost of manufacture and sale, including mill depreciation and main- tenance. These are the more trustworthy when embodying the experience of a number of operators, and if well established may be substituted for estimates of the same items in stumpage appraisals. Superintendence, selling costs, and other general expense items also tend to be the same in plants of the same gen- eral size and type and can often be standardized to advantage for considerable regions. Extra Costs of Service Requirements. It is important to give full weight to the added cost of operation due to requirements imposed by the Forest Service. These should be estimated sepa- rately for items like brush disposal, which are readily segregated from other operating costs. The extra cost of other requirements, such as reserving a portion of the timber, should be included in the cost of the particular step in APP RAISIN G STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL EORESTS. 23 the operation to which the requirement applies. In other words, the cost of each process should be estimated as the Service will require the work to be done. The appraiser’s report may well contain, however, a summary of the effect of all Service requirements upon operating costs and investments for the informa- tion of prospective purchasers. Expenditures under such requirements which are made currently in connec- tion with other woods operations call for a sum of working capital analogous to that for logging costs and having the same turnover. (See p. 25.) Other expenditures, particularly brush burning, may be incurred after the logs are removed, or indeed after the lumber has been manufactured and sold. Such expenditures are paid out of returns for the product and require little or no additional working capital. Basis of Computation. Logging and transportation costs to the mill will be computed on log scale; milling costs on lumber tally. This accords with trade practice and facilitates allowance for overrun. Distinction Between Operating Costs and Fixed Investments. Expenditures for temporary improvements, such as chutes or roads in use for a year or less, may be charged either as fixed investments or operating costs. The difference in the resulting appraisal is unimportant. If classed as investments they increase the charges for depreciation and profit on fixed in- vestments. If classed as operating costs, they increase this item, together with working capital and the profit earned by it. To illustrate — $1,000 is to be expended during a logging season for temporary truck roads in an operation cutting 5,000,000 feet annually. As an investment, this outlay adds 20 cents per thousand feet to the depreciation and 4 cents per thousand feet to the profit, figuring the latter at 20 per cent on the invested capital. As an operating cost, it adds 20 cents per thousand feet to the current charges and 4 cents to the profit on working capital, assuming but one turn annually for the expenditure and the same profit rate. Period of use the deciding factor. — The period of use of the structure or1 material should be the deciding factor. In Forest Service practice all expendi- tures for improvements or equipment used for one year or less and having no residual or wrecking value will ordinarily be classed as operating costs. Im- provements and equipment used for longer periods or which will have a residual or wrecking value at the end of the operation will be classed as fixed invest- ments. Maintenance. Maintenance is often confused with depreciation, but should be kept distinct. It is a current charge for blacksmith and machine shops, section crews on railroads, millwrights, repair kits, supplies, etc., expended solely for the upkeep and repair of existing structures or equipment. It varies greatly with dif- ferent improvements or kinds of equipment, depending upon their nature and the amount and severity of use. A locomotive, for example, has a first cost of $9,000, a life of 12 years, and an estimated scrap value at the end of that time of $600. The depreciation charge necessary to restore the original investment is thus $8,400, or $700 a year ; $200 additional may be required annually, however, for machine-shop work, replace- ment of minor parts, etc. The latter is maintenance. Maintenance of mills. — Maintenance is always an important and unavoidable charge in milling, on account of the constant repairs, alteration of machinery, etc., necessary in keeping up an efficient mill. The depreciation of a mill, how- ever, where large supplies of timber insure long life, may be very small. Gen- 24 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. erally speaking, as the depreciation of mills, and other machinery is reduced — that is, as a longer operating life is assured — expenditures for maintenance must be increased because of the greater average amount of repairs and re- placements required. Average maintenance costs for different kinds of im- provements and equipment can best be obtained from local experience in similar operations. Selling Costs. Selling costs are specialized and vary with the character of the operation. In most small plants the mill cut is either contracted in advance or sold to local buyers, selling costs being largely or wholly eliminated. Large plants with extensive yard stocks which sell their cut in competitive territory, on the other hand, may incur very high selling costs. This charge can be determined only from local trade conditions. It can be handled best by establishing aver- age selling charges for the principal types of plants in each locality, classified by output or by other industrial factors which affect this item. Taxes and Insurance. Taxes and insurance are grouped apart from general expense to facilitate the determination of working capital. Prevailing tax assessments on the forms of property carried in a lumber operation, as percentages of their actual or sale value, and tax levies on assessed valuation can usually be obtained directly from the county authorities. Insurance rates are usually standard- ized for the various forms of property — mills, lumber in yards, etc. Local practice will be the best index to the proportion of the value of the particular class of improvements or other property on which insurance is carried. Lia- bility insurance, to cover injuries to workmen, should similarly be estimated in accordance with the common practice in this regard. Income taxes, either Federal or State, will not be considered as an operating cost. Their amount is dependent on the profit realized from the business. Their chief influence is on the rate of return on the investment in current business undertakings, and therefore, in Forest Service appraisals, on the allowed margin for profit and risk. General Expense — Superintendence. The principal general expense charge is superintendence. The supervision of each portion of the work, as logging from stump to landing may be included in the cost of that part of the operation. General expense should include only superintendence which applies to the entire organization and can not prac- ticably be segregated between its parts. General expense charges are the least tangible of any in the operation and the most easily overlooked. Their inclusion in the calculation is as important, however, as the cost of felling or skidding. Careful study of the organization of existing operations, the cost of superintendents and other executive officers, and of necessary office expenses is essential to gauge these items accurately in stumpage appraisals. WORKING CAPITAL. Elements in Working Capital. Operating costs are paid either from working capital or directly from the proceeds of sales. Working capital thus depends upon two elements (1) the amount of current expenditures, and (2) the time which elapses between outlay and realization. While the amount of such capital actually in use varies from month to month, it will for appraisal purposes be regarded as a constant fund fixed in accord- ance with the average requirements of the business. This accords with the common business practice of carrying short-term notes for periods when spe- APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 25 cial demands must be met and a corresponding balance when sales are most active. Working capital is entitled to regular yearly profit and must be found intact at the end of the operation. It is entirely separate from fixed invest- ments and has no relation to depreciation. Variation in Different Operations. The amount of working capital required varies widely in accordance with the product of the operation, the methods of marketing it, and the local logging con- ditions and trade practices. Uniform methods of calculation are not practicable in stumpage appraisals. The following discussion is intended to suggest ways of determining working capital rather than to establish hard and fast rules. The experience of operators is the best aid in estimating working capital and should be obtained whenever possible. Frequency of the Turn. The factors which bear most directly upon the amount of working capital needed in an operation are (1) the total sum of annual operating costs and stumpage payments, and (2) the average period between expenditures for these purposes and corresponding returns from sales of the product. Broadly speaking, the working capital must be equivalent to three-fourths, one-half, or one-third of the total expenditures each year for operating costs and stumpage payments if the average period between outlay and realization is nine months, six months, or four months, respectively. Where an annual log drive is required, working capital may be turned but once a year. Cases in which the turnover is so rapid that labor and supply bills can be paid directly with a portion of the returns, and the working capital is an unim- portant item, are usually better appraised by the overturn method. Rarely do such cases involve so heavy investments in improvements or equipment as to make the investment method the better one to use. ( See p. 40. ) Working Capital Required for Taxes and Insurance. Taxes and insurance become due at specified dates each year and in a con- tinuous operation are repaid gradually from sales throughout the year. It is a fair assumption, therefore, that a fund of working capital equivalent to one- half the yearly taxes and insurance must be kept on hand. Working Capital Required for Accounts Receivable. In ordinary lumber marketing, freight is prepaid by the seller and the account earried for 30 or 60 days, or the bill is discounted for cash payment. The former practice, which is far more common, requires cash to carry the operation until the proceeds of sales are actually in hand and available for use in the busi- ness. The latter is a universal trade method of securing immediate returns by sacrificing a small portion of them. The discount is thus a means of reducing working capital. Accounts receivable are often covered by short-term loans. Since no dis- tinction is made in Service appraisals between borrowed and unborrowed capital, however, and all the funds actually required in the business must be provided for, such accounts should be included in the estimate of working capital. This item should be figured very conservatively either (1) by in- cluding the average period between sale and payment in the “ turn ” of the operating costs and stumpage payments, or (2) by adding to the working capital as otherwise made up the average annual amount necessary to carry the volume of credit business for a period of one month or more in operations of similar type and output, or, where a discounted selling price is used in the appraisal, the average annual amount of funds needed.1 to carry stock from time of shipment to payment. Since credit accounts are thus provided for in the average profit-bearing in- vestment, interest on them will not be included in operating costs. 26 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Where the prevailing practice is to discount for cash payment, eliminating in whole or in part the need for working capital to cover accounts receivable, the discount should be shown as a reduction in the average f. o. b. mill price actually received ; i. e., the f. o. b. lumber price used in the appraisal should be the net price after deducting the prevailing discount from the proportion of the business subject to discount. (See “ Selling price,” p. 3.) Determination of Working Capital. These principles may be illustrated by the following operation on the West Coast. It is estimated that sufficient working capital must be on hand to run the logging camp three months and the mill two months before funds are re- turned from sales in sufficient amounts to carry the business ; that is, it is neces- sary to have a continuous supply of logs equal to the camp’s output for one month at the landing, in transit, or at the mill, and an average yard stock of lumber equal to the output of the mill for two months. Payments for lumber will be made in time to carry the cost of the fourth month’s logging and third month’s milling. The working capital used in logging is thus turned four times a year and that used in milling six times, with the excepton of funds carried to pay taxes and insurance in each instance, which are reckoned as turning twice annually. The working capital required in this operation may be summarized as follows : Expenditure. Amount per thousand feet. Portion paid from working capital. Number of times work- ing capital is turned annually. Working cap- ital required per thou- sand feet annually. Depreciation on logging investment $0. 34 Taxes and insurance .09 $0.09 2 $0,045 1.215 Other logging costs 4.86 4.86 4 Rt.nmpa.gfi. . 1.75 1.75 4 .437 Depreciation on milling investment .39 Taxes and insurance .16 .16 2 .08 Other milling costs 3.87 3.87 6 .645 Total 11.46 10.73 2.422 The operation thus needs working capital equivalent to $2,422 per thousand feet on its annual cut of 16,000,000, log scale, a total of $38,752. The average turn is approximately four and a half times a year, the working capital being about 22| per cent of the sum of annual operating costs and stumpage pay- ments, $171,680. If market and industrial conditions made it possible to turn the working capital used in logging every two months and the milling capital every month, tax and insurance expenditures still being turned twice annually, the calculation for the foregoing operation becomes as follows : Expenditure. Amount per thousand feet. Portion paid from working capital. Number of t imes work- ing capital is turned annually. Working cap- ital required per thou- sand feet annually. Depreciation on logging investment $0.34 Taxes and insurance .09 $0.09 4.86 2 $0,045 .81 Other logging costs 4. 86 6 Stumpage 1.75 1.75 6 .292 Depreciation on milling investment .39 Taxes and insurance .16 .16 2 .08 Other milling costs 3.87 3. 87 12 .322 Total 11.46 10.73 1.549 APPRAISING STUMP AGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 27 Under these conditions a working capital of but $24,784 is required to carry the same annual cut. The average turn is nearly seven times a year, and about 15 per cent of the sum of annual operating and stumpage costs is sufficient for working capital. Margin for contingencies. — Computations of working capital on the average turn are usually overconservative. A surplus must always be on hand to meet special demands, and the funds at work in the business can not always be ex- panded or contracted for short periods. Usually a margin of 10 or 15 per cent should be added to the sum deduced as above to put the business on a practical working basis. In Slow Operations. In driving or other operations whose successive steps consume the greatei part of a year the floating capital required usually ranges from one-half to three-fourths of the total yearly operating and stumpage costs. Instead of esti- mating the “ turn ” of the funds employed in each part of the operation the total working capital may conveniently be averaged for the year by tracing outgo* and income as follows : In a cut of 20,000,000 feet annually it is assumed that stumpage payments, at $2.20 per thousand, average as of January 1 ; that logging costs, at $4 per thou- sand, average as of February 1 ; that driving costs, at $1 per thousand, average as of May 1 ; and that milling costs, at $8.50 per thousand, average as of July 1. Sales at $15 per thousand feet begin in August. The sale of 2,000,000 feet is credited to the 1st of September and each of the succeeding nine months. The working capital required to carry this business would then be : For— Balance between outgo and income for the year. Balance from preceding year. Working capital for the month. For— Balance between outgo and income for the year. Balance from preceding year. Working capital for the month. January February March April May June J uly ... . $44,000 124,000 124,000 124.000 144.000 144.000 214.000 +$64,000 + 34,000 + 4,000 - 26,000 - 56,000 - 86,000 $108,000 158.000 128.000 98.000 88.000 58,000 i 214,000 August September. . . October November. . . December Average $214,000 184.000 154.000 124.000 94,000 $214,000 184.000 154.000 124.000 94,000 135,167 1 Or 63 per cent of the total annual producing cost of $214,000. Ten or 15 per cent should be added to this total for safety. The figures in the first column from January to August are the accrued costs of stumpage, logging, driving, and manufacture. The figures from September to December and in the second column from January to March represent the accrued costs less sale receipts. The second column figures from April to June represent the surplus of sale receipts over accrued operating costs. The figures in the third column represent the capital required to carry current operating costs each month in the year. Calculation of Working Capital from Average Stocks on Hand. Another method of determining working capital, which is perhaps more direct and tangible than either of those discussed, is to foot up the average credit balance for advance stumpage payments, the value of the average stock of logs and lumber, the average total of bills receivable which are carried for one month or more, and a reasonable cash balance. The value of log and lumber stocks should be calculated from current stumpage and operating costs. While 86001—22 5 28 APPRAISING STUMP AGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. tlie supply of logs and lumber varies to a greater or less degree, a fair average can usually be figured as constant in the business. This method furnishes an excellent check on computations of working capital from the average turn. If logging and milling are figured separately, the working capital for each operation may be determined as follows : Multiply the cut of each month by the number of months until the logs reach the mill ; the sum of these products divided by the annual cut gives the weighted average time in months that the money is tied up. The annual cut multiplied by the operating costs, including stumpage, of logging per thousand feet, or other unit of volume used, will give the total expenditures for that purpose. This sum multiplied by the aver- age number of months that the money is tied up and the product divided by 12 will give the average annual profit-bearing investment represented by working capital in the logging operation. The money tied up in lumber in the yard may be determined by multiplying the total cost of production per thousand feet of lumber tally, including stump- age and logging costs, by the average amount of lumber carried in the yard. The average balance to the credit of the operator for advance stumpage pay- ments and a margin for contingencies should be added. Use of normal rather than speculative stocks. — The quantity of lumber car- ried in the yards after manufacture should be estimated from the average yard stock under normal trade conditions, eliminating excess stocks carried for speculative reasons. Stocks carried over periods of depression to obtain normal prices may, however, be included in computing the average. Working Capital in Sales of Special Px-oducts. In sales of tie or mining material, telephone poles, etc., the product is usually contracted to one buyer for payment on delivery. In driving or fluming opera- tions deliveries are ordinarily made during a short period of the year and expenditures for stumpage and logging month by month must be carried until the date of delivery. The average working capital required may be estimated by computing the “ turn ” of each month’s outlay or the time which must elapse before cash returns are received. A simple method of obtaining this result is to set down each month’s expenditure, multiply it by the number of months intervening until time of payment, and divide by 12. To illustrate: Logging in a small tie operation begins on the 1st of August and continues, including skidding and decking, until the 1st of April. The ties are flumed in June, and payment for the season’s cut received in full by August 1. The work- ing capital may be computed from the monthly expenditures as follows : Date of expenditure. Amount. Months until payment. Amount extended for number of months. Date of expenditure. Amount. Months until payment. Amount extended for number of months. Sept. 1 $2, 000 11 $22, 000 Mar. 1 $1, 200 5 $6, 000 Oct. 1 500 10 5,000 Apr. 1. . . .! 1,500 4 6, 000 Nov. 1 500 9 4, 500 July 1.. ... 900 1 900 1 400 8 3 200 Jan. 1 1,000 7 7,’ 000 Total, i 59,400 Feb. 1 800 6 4,800 , $59,400-HL2= $4,950, the average amount of working capital required. (For a detailed illustration of the method, see p. 67.) This method adapts itself to any special features in the expenditures of an operation, such as the purchase of supplies for an entire winter in advance, the payment of labor bills at the end of the logging season, etc. It is also readily applied in sales where payments for the product are distributed throughout the APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 29 year, by estimating the number of months elapsing between the date of each expenditure and its return. Such calculations should be based upon the terms and methods of payment for labor, supplies, etc., in common usage. As the standard practice, however, com- missaries will not be considered in estimating working capital. Where board is furnished to laborers at a stated price or a general store is conducted in con- nection with a logging operation, it should be treated as a separate business enterprise not affecting the working funds required in the timber sale. If wages include board, the current cost of supplies and labor for the mess is a proper item of working capital. (See “Commissaries and boarding houses,” p. 8.) OVERRUN. Source of Overrun. The Forest Service will follow the practice of lumbermen in prorating logging costs on log scale and milling costs on mill tally. These two standards seldom agree. The product of the mill ordinarily overruns the decimal C log scale from 4 to 30 per cent, depending on the size, length, taper, and soundness of the timber, the thickness of the saw and other matters of mill equipment, the exact dimensions to which lumber is sawed, and the class of material manufactured. A Necessary Factor in Stumpage Appraisals. The Forest Service does not guarantee an overrun. It is, however, too large a factor to be ignored in accurate stumpage appraisals. In many operations overruns alone furnishes a fair profit. If equivalent to 20 per cent or more of the log scale, it may easily increase profits from 60 to 100 per cent. Nor should overrun be dismissed as no more than an offset to business hazards such as car shortage, fire losses, labor troubles, and the like. Accurate appraisals must take into account all of the actual costs which can be foreseen and all antici- pated returns, one of which is overrun. Hazards which enter into the risk of the operation but do not justify specific cost items should be given full weight in the margin allowed for profit and risk. Determination of Overrun. The percentage of overrun is determined for each general region by species, size and soundness of logs, types of mills, and sizes of lumber normally pro- duced. These standard overrun percentages are obtained by mill-scale studies or special mill-tally checks against the log scale under standard National Forest scaling practice. In the absence of standard figures, mill records may be used provided there has been a thorough check of the scaling practice fol- lowed at these mills. Separate standards are established for small circular mills and large band mills. The standard overrun percentage used in an appraisal should be determined according to the size of the timber, the per- centage of defect, the class of material to be manufactured, and the type of mill best adapted to the timber and chance. Any percentage used should be conservative, particularly if exact checks on the Forest Service scale in the same class of timber have not been obtained. Overrun at the saw is not a safe criterion. Losses in quantity between sawing and shipping often reduce materially the gain at the saw, and must be con- sidered. However, losses in grade during seasoning and the tendency for the overrun to come largely from logs yielding chiefly low-grade lumber do not affect the percentage of overrun, but are provided for by the method of determining average selling prices. Log- Scale the Final Basis in Calculations. In their final form, all factors in the appraisal will be reduced to log scale. Depreciation and logging costs will be computed directly on log scale. By use 30 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. of the ascertained per cent of overrun, milling costs and selling" prices will be extended to the log-scale basis. This can be done by multiplying the milling cost and selling price per thousand feet of lumber by 1 plus the per cent of overrun. The final computations of profit margin and stumpage price will then be on log scale. The following example will illustrate the method : Let it be assumed that logging costs $4 per thousand feet log scale and depre- ciation $1; that milling costs $5 per thousand feet of lumber; that the average selling price is $15 per thousand feet of lumber; and that the overrun is 15 per cent. Then: Logging 1 M log scale $4. 00 Depreciation on 1 M log scale 1. 00 Milling 1,150 feet of lumber (1 M log scale) at $5 per M 5. 75 Total costs 10. 75 Price of 1,150 feet of lumber (1 M log scale) at $15 per M__ 17.25 Margin for stumpage price and for profit and risk per M log scale 6. 50 LUMBER AND LOG SELLING PRICES. Appraisals Based Upon Lumber Selling Prices. Appraisals of saw timber on the National Forests will be based upon the selling prices of lumber manufactured in the same region from stumpage of similar quality. The determination of the lumber selling prices applicable to the chance is thus one of the most important duties of the appraiser. The average mill-run values, by species, f. o. b. cars, received by efficient manufacturers, operating under the usual variations of type in the region, are probably the most reliable figures to use in stumpage appraisals for timber of similar quality. Average Selling Price of Various Grades. The problem is comparatively simple where lumber of but one grade is manu- factured. In all but the smaller operations, however, lumber is graded and sold at grade prices which cover a wide range in value. The problem is further complicated by varying prices for different dimensions. The average selling price of the product in such cases depends not only upon the price obtained for each grade, but upon the proportion of the different grades in the standing timber. To ascertain this proportion, a careful examination of the timber is necessary, checked wherever possible by the cut of grades obtained in manu- facturing similar stumpage at local mills. Detailed mill-scale studies, based on log grades, are the most satisfactory basis of estimating the proportion of grades which a given tract of timber will yield. The proportion of grades and the mill-run value will be taken as at the time of shipment, not at the saw, thus allowing for deterioration during sea- soning, planing, and handling in the yard. Calculation of the Average Selling Price. An example of the most desirable form of calculating an average selling price by grades, taken from a specific case, follows : Estimated per cent of grades , with average grade prices for western yellow pine . 2 per cent B and better select at $44 $0. 88 8 per cent C select at $36 2. 88 12 per cent No. 1 shop at $26 3. 12 20 per cent No. 2 shop at $18 3. 60 25 per cent No. 3 shop at $13.50 3. 37 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 31 20 per cent No. 2 common boards at $16 $3. 20 8 per cent No. 3 common boards at $33 1. 04 5 per cent box at $10 : — : . 50 100 per cent. Average 18. 59 Average Selling Price of Mixed Stands. If necessary to obtain the average lumber selling price of all of the stumpage in mixed stands, a similar calculation may be made by species, as follows : Per cent. Species. Average selling price of species. Weight in average price for the chance. 30 Western white pine $21.00 $6.30 5 Yellow pine 17.00 .85 12 Larch 13.00 1.56 18 Douglas fir 13.00 2. 34 3 Engelxnann spruce 15.00 .45 25 White fir 12.50 3. 125 7 Western red cedar 12.00 .84 100 Average for the chance 15. 465 Lumber Prices Prevailing in Producing Regions. The effort should be to obtain average lumber prices, by grades, holding for the producing region, or manufacturing district in which the chance is located. Such a region ordinarily includes all the mills (1) manufacturing timber of similar species and generally similar quality, and (2) subject to the same mar- ket conditions as represented by freight rates to main consuming points and competition with other manufacturing districts. The more mills from which price data are obtained the better. The aim will be to obtain grade prices or prices by species which are general averages rather than prices applicable to a single mill. Lumber Prices During Normal Market Conditions. Lumber prices holding for brief periods are not reliable. If obtained during a year of depression or temporary inflation they are unfair either to the Government or the operator. As far as practicable, the prices used should represent normal conditions in the lumber market. This can be done most practicably by averaging the prices received during a period of three years, or even longer if repeated fluctuations have occurred. As a general rule no prices should be used which do not represent the average lumber market during at least one year. Average operating costs over the same period should also be used in the appraisal. The appraiser should furthermore study the data on prices for as long a period as authentic records are available and ascertain as far as he can the broad market tendencies indicated. If a straight average does not meet his judgment of a normal price in line with the movements of the market, he should give the average and then recommend other selling prices which in his belief should be used, with his reasons. State of Manufacture and Shipment. Prices should be taken as a rule on lumber ready for shipment, commonly f. o. b. cars at the mill or nearest common-carrier shipping point. In the case of plants which finish a portion of their product, the prices of the respective grades in the proportion and state of finish at which they are shipped may be used. Intensive forms of manufacture, as boxes, sash and door, etc., should be disregarded and prices reckoned on the lumber itself, preferably in rough 32 APPRAISING STTJMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. form, at the most convenient point in the whole process. Lumber freights over common-carrier roads should be eliminated from price and cost estimates as far as practicable. Net returns at the mill or its nearest common-carrier ship- ping point is the standard basis for appraisals. (See discussion of discounts “For accounts receivable,” p. 25.) Value of By-Products. The sale value of lath, slabwood, and other by-products of the log which are usually manufactured and have an established market should be taken into account in computing the total return for each thousand feet log scale. This may be done by adding the milling cost on such products per thousand feet log scale to the other milling charges and similarly their sale value to the lumber selling price computed on log scale. The same result will be closely approxi- mated by adding the profit on by-products per thousand feet log scale, to the average lumber selling price, but this method should be used only if data on cost of production of the by-product can not be obtained. Prices of Other Products Than Lumber. When timber is sold as railroad ties, shingles, telephone poles, etc., the^ selling prices of these products as they pass from the hands of the purchaser will be ascertained and used in the calculation in the same manner as the selling price of lumber. Where products like cedar poles are handled by distributors, with- out manufacture, f. o. b. prices at main shipping points will be the ordinary basis taken. Use of Log Prices as a Check. The price of saw logs will not be used, however, as a basis for stumpage appraisals. For this purpose the lumber market is taken by the Service as determining the value of saw timber. In sales to loggers appraisals should be based on lumber selling prices and all costs from stump to market reckoned as in sales to purchasers who operate mills. Log prices, however, serve as an excel- lent check in such sales. They should be ascertained and considered by the appraiser in fixing the price of the stumpage. The report should indicate how far it will be practicable for loggers to purchase stumpage on a lumber market appraisal and what prices would be equitable if the log market were the basis taken. MARGIN FOR PROFIT AND RISK. What Profit Is. Profit is the amount which may be taken out of the business over and above depreciation charges, while still leaving its working capital intact. It is usually figured as a percentage, returned each year, of the total investment in the enterprise. It is most clearly represented, however, by a sum per thous- and feet or a total sum on the year’s cut. The cash balance at the end of a year’s operation consists of three parts: (1) An amount set aside for deprecia- tion, which pays back some portion of the original investment, (2) working capital, or the portion of it available as money, and (3) profit, or the surplus over the other two sums. The preliminary work in stumpage appraisals results in two estimated figures: (1) The sum of operating costs and depreciation of fixed investments, and (2) the average selling price of the product. The difference between the two is made up of profit and stumpage price. The final problem is to divide this amount fairly between stumpage and a margin for profit and risk. Profit Margin in Stumpage Appraisals. No profit is guaranteed by the Forest Service. It is necessary, therefore, not only to appraise on the basis of a fair net return to the opeator, but to include APPRAISING STUMP AGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 33 an additional amount, varying according to tlie risk involved, to protect the profit and make more probable its realization. What the appraiser really estimates, therefore, is a profit margin made up of these two parts. An equitable profit margin, based upon ordinary management and average luck, is essential in every stumpage appraisal. The aim will be to make possible a fair industrial return to the average operator, proportioned to the risks and commercial standing of the business, not the speculative or unearned reward of the shrewd investor. Elements in Margin for Profit and Risk. The margin of profit in timber appraisals involves three general elements: (1) interest on capital invested, (2) reward for the personal energy and ability of the operator, and (3) allowance for risks to which the business is subject. Interest on investment.-^— Interest on invested capital at prevailing commercial rates is often treated as a cost rather than profit. It is, however, a return from the operation, and in National Forest appraisals will be classed with other re- turns as an element of profit. Capital industrially employed in National Forest operations is entitled to a return on its own account, regardless of any other elements of profit, of at least 6 per cent. In nearly all business, return on invested capital is the most clearly established and controlling basis of profit. This is particularly true of the larger and more permanent enterprises whose processes are standardized and whose organization is developed along permanent and stable lines. Reward for personal effort. — The second element, reward for personal initia- tive and capacity, is much more variable. In large operations, business ability and skillful management are in the main furnished by employees, paid by sal- aries, and accounted for in costs of production. The personal element does not enter largely into profit, although usually evident in the organization and begin- ning of an enterprise and not infrequently recognized in going operations by stock bonuses or profit sharing. It is of special importance in lumbering as compared with other industries on account of the lack of standardization proc- esses and the knowledge of many different commercial and technical branches which is required. In the smaller enterprises of a more temporary character and less stable or- ganization individual energy and initiative are much more important factors in the conduct of the business. The capital invested is often relatively small and profit may be largely a reward for personal effort. The weight, to be given this element in Forest Service appraisals will neces- sarily vary in accordance with the character of the chance. It will be greater in small, short-lived operations than in large sales of long duration. It should be slight in appraisals of timber available to well-established, going plants. On the other hand, it must be relatively great in the case of new enterprises with an organization to create and markets to develop, particularly if special condi- tions must be met which require exceptional experience, business capacity, or other personal qualifications on the part of the purchaser of the timber. Business risks. — The third element of profit, a return covering business risks, is required in lumbering to a greater degree than in most other industries. This risk consists (1) in the double chance of a decline in the lumber market and an increase in operating costs, which lumbering history shows to be great; and (2) in possible losses and accidents which are inherent in a business dealing with rugged physical conditions, but can not be accurately foreseen or reckoned in cost estimates. While the physical risk to investments beyond the limits of insurance are not ordinarily great, serious business losses are usually involved in their destruction or injury. The destruction of a sawmill by 34 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. fire, for example, involves not only the loss of the value of the plant not covered by insurance, but also loss of custom, loss of operative force, and loss of profit through reduction in output. Particular chances are often subject to special risks. These directly affect their value and must be taken into account in appraisals by giving proper weight to the risk element in the profit margin. A stream may be of such a nature as to endanger either hanging up drives indefinitely or carrying them through storage booms. Small streams which have never been driven are usually uncertain and risky features of a chance. Similarly the necessary loca- tion of a road, flume, or railway may subject the operation to special risk on account of frequent washouts. Risk on fixed investments and ivorking capital. — Ordinarily, and particularly with new enterprises, the risk on working capital is less than on fixed invest- ments. The latter are not merely liable to physical damage, but may become a total or partial loss if the enterprise fails. Working capital, which is rep- resented at any given time by logs, lumber, bank account, bills receivable, and stumpage deposits, is subject to reduction, but is seldom subject to total loss, as is the investment in the grade for a logging railroad if the business proves to be a failure. Lumber and log stocks can usually be realized on and out- standing accounts can be collected. Hence in business practice a smaller rate of profit margin is sometimes figured upon working capital than upon fixed invest- ments. With well-established business undertakings, however, the risk on the work- ing capital may be greater than on the fixed investments. The working capital at any given time may be largely represented by expenditures for labor, and a marked decline in the value of the product may not only wipe out the expected profit but may also cause a loss, which loss takes the form of a reduction in the working capital. The fixed investments would not be lost as the result of such a temporary lack of proportion between labor costs and selling prices. The relative risk to the fixed investments and to the working capital should be recognized either by separate treatment or in the average rate of margin for profit and risk. Other factors affecting risk. — In the consideration of timber chances, oper- ators must also take into account possible overestimates of the quality of the stumpage or the selling price of the various lumber grades and possible under- estimates of necessary investments or operating costs. The size and perma- nency of the operation are important factors. Large investments carried for long periods, like railroads and modern office buildings, are satisfied with a lower return than smaller, less stable enterprises. Operators with established markets and transportation facilities will accept a lower return than where these features of the business must be constructed or developed. All of these are factors of risk which must be weighed by the appraiser in determining the margin which should be allowed. Comparison with other kinds of business. — The lumber business involves greater risk and uncertainty than most manufacturing enterprises. Industries characterized by permanence and physical safety of investments, standardized processes, and assured markets are run on a margin of profit which would be wholly inadequate for lumbering. Its general conditions are entirely different. Each operation must be adapted to the topography of its chance. New 1 methods must often be developed and applied to peculiar local conditions. Exactness in estimates of investments and operating costs is practically im- possible. The capital invested in fixed improvements is subject by their nature and location to a fire risk which can not be as fully insured against as in most APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 35 comparable lines of business. The work is hazardous and injuries to workmen are frequent. The hazard from unusual climatic conditions is greater than in most manufacturing industries. Losses due to uncontrollable causes, such as c.ar shortage and bad accounts, are common. As in other enterprises, the business is subject to labor troubles and breakdowns. It is dependent upon unskilled labor to an exceptional degree. All of these tend to make a high margin for profit and risk necessary. Comparison with private operations. — Operations on National Forests have certain financial advantages when compared with private lumbering. The sys- tem of small payments amounts in long-time sales to a substantial saving of interest and taxes. The effect of this, however, is upon cost of production, not upon certainty of profit. Operators in National Forests, however, have some advantages over private lumbermen in the matter of risk. Owning no timber, they have a smaller total investment, and consequently less to lose if the enterprise is a failure. Since title to the timber does not pass until it is cut and scaled, they run much less risk of loss from fire. On the other hand, contracting to log under Government supervision neces- sarily involves a risk, however small, which the operator on private land avoids. Furthermore, the purchaser of National Forest timber foregoes to a large extent speculative profits from increased stumpage and lumber values and from overrun, both in estimate and scale. METHODS OF RECKONING MARGIN FOR PROFIT AND RISK. Investment Method. A percentage return on the capital invested, covering all of the elements discussed above, is the clearest and most satisfactory means of reckoning the margin for profit and risk. It accords with the usual business practice and conception and permits ready comparison with other industries. This method of reckoning profit margin, known as the “investment method,” will be stand- ard in the Forest Service. It should be employed uniformly in appraising the larger chances, and in appraising the smaller bodies of timber wherever it is applicable. The results should be checked by the money profit margin per thousand board feet (see p. 36), especially if the working capital will be turned over frequently. Overturn Method. Another method of reckoning profit is to take a percentage of the total operating cost and depreciation, or “ overturn.” This should be used in cases where the investment is very small in comparison with current operating costs or is difficult to estimate, and hence affords an insufficient basis for determin- ing the profit margin. The method is used largely in railroad work and general contracting. If the sum of depreciation and operating costs, for example, is $12 per thousand feet, the profit and risk margin may be figured as 20 per cent of that amount, or $2.40. The overturn method is of special value in small sales where the investment is negligible or where operating costs can be closely estimated but the capital required is uncertain or difficult to determine. Operating costs, which make up most of the overturn, are usually ascertained more readily than invest- ments. The overturn method is thus safer for appraisers who are not expert in calculating the investment features of lumbering operations. It may also be used if desired in arriving at the profit due on logging as distinct from manufacturing where it is necessary to deal separately with the two parts of the operation. (See p. 41.) It may also be used in determining the profit 36 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. margin due on manufacturing in regions for which standard costs, including depreciation, have been determined (see p. 41), even if heavy investments in logging improvements and equipment require the use of the investment method for that part of the operation. Compensation for Personal Services. In very small operations, a comparison of the stumpage price indicated by computations by either the investment or the overturn method with the prices received for similar private timber or with current bids sometimes shows that those indicated prices are not the existing market value of the timber. Usually in such cases the purchaser plans to do a part of the logging or manu- facturing himself. The capital required, as a rule, is relatively little and inadequate as a basis for reckoning, profit. Supervisory charges are usually not covered in operating costs. Often a contract for the product has been secured in advance, thus greatly reducing the element of risk. The energy and ability of the purchaser are the main factors upon which the enterprise is conducted. The profit margin may be reckoned in such cases chiefly as pay for the operators' time and enterprise. An additional margin should always be figured on any capital actually required. Similar conditions often apply to small operations for special products like railroad ties or mining timbers, which require comparatively little capital. Checks on Profit-Margin Calculations. The rates of margin given in these instructions are necessarily flexible. Final rates can be established only by experience in studying and analyzing actual returns from many different operations. It is therefore essential to check calcu- lations of profit margin by direct operating standards as far as they can be obtained. By going operations. — Systematic study of the profit obtained in going sales and private operations is a valuable and necessary check upon this feature of stumpage appraisals. To permit direct comparison, it should be computed in terms of per cent on investment, per cent on overturn, etc., conforming with the methods prescribed in these instructions. A frequent check of the results of former appraisals to ascertain what rates of margin are sufficient and equitable under the particular local conditions is one of the most essential parts of the appraiser’s work. By current l)ids. — The margin for profit and risk indicated by current or past bids for National Forest chances in the same region, as showing the basis upon which operators are willing to buy stumpage, should be used to check ap- praisals under either the investment or overturn method. As the lumbering in- dustry develops in new regions and becomes more stable, operators are willing to purchase at lower profits. This is shown by the course of stumpage values in the older manufacturing regions. The prices bid in current sales thus form the best index to the rate of profit margin required by the local lumbering- industry. By money per thousand feet. — The profit margin in the appraisal may be checked also as a sum in dollars and cents per thousand board feet or other unit of output. A stated profit per thousand feet is a direct and tangible figure, widely employed in the lumber business. As experience is gained, it is probable that more definite standards of profit in money per thousand feet can be estab- lished for operations of varying size and kind of output under each of the more common sets of local conditions with respect to markets, logging risks, etc. Such standards will greatly facilitate uniform appraisals. A check of the results obtained by any method of reckoning profit margin, from this standpoint, is therefore desirable. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 37 APPLICATION OF THE INVESTMENT METHOD. Profit margin calculated as a percentage of tlie money in the business should strictly be proportioned each year to the capital invested in the operation during that period. For simplicity, however, the average investment during the life of the sale may be taken. This is not mathematically exact as to the actual amount invested during, any given year, but is a fair basis for cal- culating profit margin during the operation as a whole. Frequency of the Turn Unimportant. As indicated on page 25, the frequency of the turn has an important bearing- on the amount of working capital required in the business. The average an- nual investment, once determined, is considered as a certain sum earning an- nually a specified percentage of itself, and the frequency of the turn affects the calculation of margin for profit and risk only through the selection of a proper rate. Calculation Under the Investment Method. The application of the investment method is simple. The average amount of money employed in the operation, including working capital and fixed invest- ments, must be determined. Working capital can usually be computed as a constant amount throughout the operation. A specified percentage of the total average investment gives an annual sum which must be set aside as the profit margin. This sum divided by the yearly cut gives the profit margin per thousand board feet. The sum of margin and depreciation per thousand feet and current logging and milling costs deducted from the selling price gives the stumpage rate at which the timber should be appraised. Expressed as a for- mula, the calculation becomes: X represents the stumpage price, £ the average selling price, Lc the logging costs, Me the manufacturing costs, D the depreciation of fixed investments, A the average fixed investment in the operation, and W the working capital, all except A and W as amounts per thousand feet log scale. To illustrate : In an operation cutting 10,000,000 feet annually the estimated average invest- ment, including working capital, is $235,000 and the annual depreciation $12,000. Logging costs $6 per thousand feet log scale and milling $4.50 per thousand feet, lumber tally. The overrun for the class of logs involved, yellow pine running 10 logs per thousand feet, is 20 per cent ; and the average selling price mill run, lumber tally, is $16. The operation involves comparatively low risks, the tim- ber being cut by an established mill with well-developed markets. A return of 15 per cent on the investment is deemed equitable. The elements in the formula are thus : Selling price (1.200 feet at $16 per M) $19.20 Logging costs $6.00 Milling costs (1,200 feet at $4.50) 5.40 Depreciation ($12,000-^-10,000 M) 1.20 Margin for profit and risk ( 15 per cent of $235,00(KT0,00O M ) 3. 52 Total charges 16. 12 X=S-^Lc+Mc+D+ per cent of (i-flf)' G annual cut Stumpage price. 3.08 38 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Rates of Profit Margin Under the Investment Method. For a lumbering operation of good size, extending over a period sufficiently long to reduce the average risk to working capital from sudden fluctuations in the price of the product, 15 to 20 per cent on the average annual investment is a fair margin for profit and risk. Lower rates of margin should be used in appraisals only when the prices bid in current sales of similar timber show that operators consider smaller rates of margin are justified by the conditions in the region. On chances tributary to established plants which are in a posi- tion to purchase them, in regions where logging involves no extraordinary prob- lems or unusual risks, and where the risk to the enterprise is low because of well established markets, 15 per^should be the general standard. If the business enterprise is new and recognition must be won in the market, but other conditions are as above, the rate of margin may properly be extended 18 to 20 per cent. If the industry is to be developed largely under new con- ditions, as when the product must win a place in the market against the custom of trading with older producing regions, or if special risks exist in logging, a rate of margin of from 20 to 25 per cent may be equitable. As a rule, chances suitable for relatively short-term, medium-sized opera- tions should be appraise:! with a rate of profit margin from 2 to 5 per cent higher than is used for large chances under similar conditions of physical risk and general marketing conditions. This is because of the greater risk from an unexpected market depression, which may impair the working capital or even imperil the enterprise without the opportunity of the long operation to recover such losses when the depression passes. The higher rates should not be used if itr is customary in the region for the product to be sold at a fixed price, as under a contract for the entire output of the operation. Different Rates on Different Parts of the Investment. As indicated on page 34, the risk to which different parts of the invest- ment in a lumbering operation are subject may vary within considerable limits. Practically no risk, for instance, attaches to investments in land for mill sites. Risks are frequently less in manufacturing than in logging opera- tions, the latter being conducted under more hazardous physical and less stable labor conditions. Working capital may be subject to greater or less risk than fixed investments, according to conditions. Investments in main- line railroads which will be maintained as common carriers after the chance is logged out are subject to less risk than investments in temporary railroads. Where existent, differences in the risk in the investments for manufac- turing and for logging, in working capital, and in main-line railroads will be recognized by separate .rates, or the appraiser will indicate clearly the effect of the variations in risk on his choice of an average rate. Under optimum to average manufacturing and marketing conditions a return of 10 to 15 per cent on the manufacturing investment is considered reasonable. Since physical and business risks are practically eliminated, a low rate of profit margin from 8 to 12 per cent, according to the prevailing rates on short- term loans, is often adequate for that portion of the working capital repre- sented by accounts receivable or stocks sold but not paid for. A return of 10 or 12 per cent on the investment in railroads for which permanent traffic is anticipate^ is reasonable. Otherwise no distinction will be made in the rate of margin for profit and risk allowed on various parts of the total in- vestment, although divergent degrees of risk, such as for the investments in mill sites as compared with the working capital necessary for logs and lumber on hand, should be considered in choosing an average rate of margin for the remaining investment. 39 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Interest on Borrowed Capital. It should be noted that the margin for profit and risk includes whatever interest is payable on borrowed capital. No distinction will be drawn between bonds, notes, or other loans and capital stock or other funds advanced directly by the operator. Out of the profits earned, however, must be taken whatever is required to carry the indebtedness of the concern. Most operators after paying their annual interest charges from the proceeds of the business enter the remainder as profit earned by their own capital. In service appraisals which treat borrowed and unborrowed funds alike the margin includes any such carrying charges on part of the capital as well as the net returns, averaged for all the money used in the business. Exceptionally high interest rates on bonds or notes is thus a factor which should be considered in fixing the margin for profit and risk. APPLICATION OF THE OVERTURN METHOD. Profit under this method is a percentage of the overturn, or the entire production cost of a thousand feet of timber at the date of sale, including operating charges and depreciation, but not stumpage price. The calculation may be expressed by the following formula : X=S— (Lc+Mc+D) — per cent of ( Lc+Mc+D ) or transposing X=S— (1+per cent) times (Lc+Mc+D) . Lc, Me, and D represent logging costs, milling costs, and depreciation, all in amounts per thousand board feet log scale. X is the stumpage price and & the average selling price log scale. Per cent represents the rate of profit margin allowed on the overturn. Taking the operation used to illustrate the investment method, page 37, the following result is obtained from the formula : Depreciation is $1.20 as before, logging costs $6, milling costs $5.40, and selling price $19.20, all in terms of log scale. If 25 per cent on the overturn be regarded as fair, the calculation becomes: Per M. Logging costs, log scale $6. 00 Milling costs, log scale 5.40 Depreciation costs, log scale 1.20 Total 12.60 Margin, at 25 per cent 3. 15 Total cost and margin 15. 75 Selling value, log scale 19. 20 Stumpage indicated 3.45 It should be noted that the margin for profit and risk in this calculation is $3.15, as compared with $3.52 under the investment method with a rate of but 15 per cent. The factors affecting comparative results under the two methods are discussed under the two following headings. Effect of Fixed Investments. It is apparent that fixed investments are included in this calculation of profit only to the extent of their annual depreciation. The residual portion of the fixed investment or wrecking value at the end of the operation is given no place in the determination of margin. By this method the margin is thus related primarily to operating costs — that is, to the overturn of working capital. 40 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Bearing of Frequency of the Turn on Profit Margin. Under the overturn method, the profit margin allowed, except the small part based upon depreciation, is expected to be realized every time the work- ing capital expended in operating costs is turned. The frequency of the turn thus has an important bearing upon the total amount earned each year by the working capital in the business. In the illustration cited on page 39 for ex- ample, the profit margin on each thousand feet manufactured is $8.15. The part of this earned by working capital, excluding depreciation of fixed in- vestments, is $2.85. If the turn is but once a year, this profit would be earned by $11.40 of working capital, an interest rate of 25 per cent. If work- ing capital is turned twice a year, the same profit would be earned by $5.70, an interest rate of 50 per cent. If the working capital is turned every three months, or four times annually, the money actually used in the business in this form would be earning 100 per cent yearly. Divergent returns on money invested are thus obtained under the overturn method unless the per cent of profit margin is carefully adjusted to the fre- quency of the turn. With more frequent turns, lower rates should be used. From the foregoing it is clear that the overturn method is not adapted to appraisals made primarily from the standpoint of capital invested. The in- vestment method should be used invariably under such conditions. The profit margin should be based on overturn only when the investment is too limited for this purpose, and it is more practicable to arrive at the margin for profit and risk on a simple basis of contract work, disregarding investment con- siderations altogether. When Used. The determination of the margin for profit and risk by the overturn method is especially advantageous in small operations whose make-up is such, that the investment method is not applicable; and in larger operations which require comparatively little capital, like many sales of tie, pole, or mining timber, in which the overturn may be the most practicable means of determining a fair margin for profit and risk proportioned to the character and risks of each chance. The overturn method should not be used in the appraisal of chances which require heavy expenditures for fixed investments. As a rule its use is not justified if the depreciation item forms more than 10 per cent of the total cost of production on which the margin for profit and risk is figured. Different Rates on Logging and Milling. . A modification- of the overturn method may be used in localities where it is desirable to treat logging and manufacturing as distinct operations, each earn- ing a profit adjusted to its peculiar conditions and risks. In established manu- facturing regions, milling is the more stable part of the business. Methods and costs are mole uniform than in logging, both in the same mill from year to year and in different mills cutting the same class of timber. Risks are usually less variable than in woods operations. Logging, on the other hand, may be sub- ject to varying combinations of topography, climate, accessibility, certain or uncertain log transportation, and the like. The range in logging costs and investments and in logging hazards may thus be much greater than in the case of milling. When such conditions exist, particularly in localities where sales are made to established mills, it may be desirable to use a uniform rate of margin on the overturn in milling, including depreciation of mill investments. This rate should be fixed in accordance with local manufacturing standards and the frequency of the turn of working 'capital. Under average conditions, with working capital turned three or four times a year, a margin of 15 per APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 41 cent on the milling overturn is sufficient. The margin on the overturn in log- ging, including depreciation of the logging investments, may then be adjusted to the conditions and risks on each chance. Use of Both the Investment and the Overturn Methods in Same Appraisal. As discussed on page 15, manufacturing costs, standardized by types of mills and including depreciation, may often be used advantageously to determine by the overturn method the margin for profit and risk in milling, although heavy logging investments may make it necessary or desirable to use the investment method to determine the margin for logging. This combination of methods is also sometimes applicable in appraising chances tributary to mills which have already thoroughly depreciated their milling investment by manufacturing other timber but can reach additional National Forest timber by making a heavy investment in railroads or other transportation facilities. The margin for profit and risk on logging and on manufacturing may also be calculated separately by using the overturn method for the former and the investment method for the latter. This use of the two methods is adapted to the unusual conditions in the industry where logging and. milling are conducted by separate business organizations. Manufacturing operations represent the larger investments and their profit can be determined best as a return on invest- ment. Logging jobbers, however, who supply the mills with timber require com- paratively little capital. Personal ability and effort are as a rule the main factors in their business. A fair margin for profit and risk may thus be satis- factorily determined (1) by the overturn method, or (2) by payment for personal services with a percentage return on such capital as their logging busi- ness may require. While a distinction is recognized in calculations of this character between logging and milling, the stumpage price should always be obtained from the selling price of lumber, not the selling price of logs. (For a further discussion of this point see p. 32.) Rates of Profit Margin Under the Overturn Method. The percentage of overturn used in computing the profit margin should be gauged by the risk, the frequency of the turn, the permanency of the operation, and the local requirements and standards of the particular business. For tie and mining timber business operations, with the cut contracted in advance and the market risk thus eliminated. 20 per cent may be taken as standard if the turn is only once or sometimes twice a year and the chance involves no unusual logging hazards. With several turns a year, but other conditions as given above, 12 to 15 per cent is usually sufficient for operations extending over several years. Short operations often require higher rates. In sawtimber sales subject to the usual market risks, as when all or most of the output will be sold as produced instead of under a contract made previously, a rate of 20 to 25 per cent should be used under average conditions with a turn of less than three times a year. If inaccessible timber must be opened up, exceptional risks incurred in logging or stream driving, or unusual problems in marketing met, a margin for profit and risk of 30 to 35 per cent is equitable, especially if the turn is expected to be only once a year. In every case, the rate should be checked by the amount of margin in money terms to make sure that equitable allowance has been made for the risk in the labor and market situations applicable to the chance. In small operations where the return will be regarded chiefly as compensation for personal services, the amount of the margin in terms of money should be considered with regard to its adequacy for this purpose, with an additional return on the actual over- turn. 42 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. DISTRIBUTION OF PROFIT MARGIN AND DEPRECIATION IN MIXED STANDS. Prorated on Quantity of Timber. In the foregoing instructions profit margin and depreciation have been pro- rated evenly over the entire cut. This is the simplest method and is directly applicable where only one species is involved. The same method may be used in mixed stands. Average figures for profit margin and depreciation, together with the operating costs, may be deducted (1) from the selling price for each species giving directly its stumpage rate, or (2) from an average selling price for all species giving an average stumpage rate, which may then be distributed over the various species. Prorated on Net Value of Timber. It is preferable to prorate the total annual profit margin and depreciation in mixed stands on value rather than quantity. The final results are the same. Distribution on value, however, furnishes a fairer basis for fixing stumpage rates as between species. It also affords the most logical means of carrying out the Service policy of maintaining a minimum rate for green timber of each species and adjusting stumpage prices on the more valuable timbers so that they will carry the less valuable in the sale. At the same time it facilitates giving due weight in appraisals to differences in producing costs between species, as in reduced milling charges for inferior woods manufactured only into low-grade lumber or timbers. The most satisfactory method is to prorate the gross annual depreciation and profit margin over the difference between operating cost and selling price, for the several species in the proportions entering into the annual cut. To illustrate : A yearly cut is made up of 4,000,000 feet of sugar piue, 3,000,000 feet of yel- low pine, and 2,000,000 feet of white fir. The margins between selling prices and costs of production, exclusive of depreciation and profit and risk margin , are : Species. Selling price. Operat- ing cost. Margin. Sugar pine | Yellow pine j White ffr $20 18 15 $10 10 9 $10 8 6 The total net value, or sum of the margins, over which depreciation and margin for profit and risk may be prorated, is thus : Sugar pine, $10X4,000 M $40,000 Yellow pine, $8X3,000 M 24,000 White fir, $6X2,000 M , 12, 000 Total 76, 000 The annual depreciation and margin for profit and risk (using investment method) which must be paid out of this total has been computed as $34,200. Hence $34,200 $76,000 =$0.45. That is, every dollar of the difference between operating costs and selling price must pay 45 cents toward profit and depreciation. The following charges per thousand feet for depreciation and profit margin, by species, are thus obtained : Sugar pine, 10 X $0.45 $4. 50 Yellow pine, 8 X $0.45 3. 60 White fir, 6 X $0.45 2.70 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 43 By this method inferior species which yield no margin between operating costs and selling price, or a negative margin, but which must be included in the sale for silvicultural reasons, are automatically relieved of profit and de- preciation, and the charge upon the other timbers for these items proportion- ately increased. The same result is readily obtained on a thousand-foot basis, using the per cents of the different species in the cut. That is, to obtain the average margin : 45 per cent sugar pine at $10 $4. 50 33 per cent yellow pine at $8 2. 64 22 per cent white fir at $6 1. 32 The above calculations show that $0.45 of each dollar of the difference be- tween selling prices and operating costs is to be taken for profit margin and depreciation. The amount then left for stumpage is $0.55 of each dollar. This method of adjusting the prices of the more and less valuable species is believed to accord with customary business practice. Volume of money handled, rather than quantity of this or that product, is the usual basis for figuring carrying charges, depreciation, and returns. In logging, improvements are fre- quently constructed primarily to take out certain valuable species. Inferior timbers may be cut or left as the market warrants. In such cases operators will usually cut inferior species if a profit can be netted over bare operating costs, figuring that the cost of improvements is borne wholly by the better stuff. The foregoing is believed to be a logical and rational application of this prin- ciple. The directness with which the more valuable species may be made to carry their fair proportion of the profit margin and depreciation is one of the advan- tages of the investment method. The same general principle of placing heavier charges against the better species can be applied under the overturn method by charging alt depreciation to the more valuable species. This results in an increase in the profit margin for these species and a decrease in the profit margin for the inferior species. How Obtained in Mixed Stands. The value of stumpage is taken, in Forest Service appraisals, to be the por- tion of the lumber selling price left after deducting operating costs, deprecia- tion, and profit margin. In mixed stands it should be obtained for each species by deducting these charges from its own lumber price. Depreciation and profit margin should be prorated over the cut on a net value basis, as described under “ Distribution of profit and depreciation in mixed stands ” on page 42. Flat Rates Not Desirable. ,Flat rates for two or more species of different lumber values are not gener- ally desirable. They may prove inequitable if the proportion of species in the cut differs from that in the estimate; and they tend to make close utilization of inferior species covered by the average price difficult. The standard practice of the Forest Service, therefore, will be to appraise each species having a dif- Depreciation and profit margin per M feet. Total. 8.46 3. 80 STUMPAGE PRICE. 44 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. ferent lumber value separately and as far as possible upon its own merits. To simplify scaling and cutting reports, however, species whose appraised value does not differ by more than 10 per cent may be thrown together under one * contract price. Use of Minimum Stumpage Rates. The appraisal of inferior species not infrequently results in very low or negative stumpage prices. It has been deemed advisable to establish a mini- mum rate of 50 cents per thousand feet for green timber below which no species will be sold. Inferior species will therefore be appraised on their own merits as determined by lumber price and cost of production as long as the resulting stumpage value is not less than 50 cents per thousand feet. (See also “Trade valuation of inferior species ” below.) If the calculation brings the price below 50 cents, the appraisal will be at that figure. The prices put upon the more valuable species in the stand must then be reduced sufficiently to carry the dif- ference and maintain the average profit which is deemed equitable on the entire cut which the purchaser is required to take. Optional material will not be in- cluded in the computations. Distribution of Loss on Inferior Species. Such adjustments in the stumpage rates of various species may be made by a simple arithmetical process, as follows: It is assumed that separate appraisals, on individual lumber price and pro- ducing cost, give the following stumpage rates in a mixed stand of California timber : Sugar pine (30 per cent of the cut) $5.00 Yellow pine (35 per cent of the cut) 4. 00 White fir (20 per cent of thje cut) .20 Incense cedar (15 per cent of the cut) — .10 By appraising white fir and cedar at the Service minimum of 50 cents, the amount to be made up on the other species, thousand feet for thousand feet, is 20 per cent of $0.30+15 per cent of $0.60, or $0.15. This amount will be spread over the sugar and yellow pine prices ; that is, 30 per cent of $5+35 per cent of $0 15 $4, or $2.90, |2+o~aPProximately 5 cents, to be deducted from each dollar of stumpage value in the pines. The adjusted rates are therefore: Sugar pine $4. 75 Yellow pine 3. 80 White fir .50 Incense cedar . 50 This method should ordinarily be used only when necessary, after margin and depreciation have been prorated on value (see p. 42), to maintain the .minimum price. If only two species are involved, the calculation is made by multiplying the loss per thousand feet on the inferior species by the percentage that species is of the total cut, and then dividing the product by the percentage of the total cut which will be of the better species. The result is the amount to be taken from the indicated price per thousand for the more valuable species. Trade Valuation of Inferior Species. The stumpage rates placed upon inferior species should be checked by trade practice and ' valuation. Consistent and practical results are desired, con- forming as far as possible with the rating of such timbers by local operators. Standard prices for low-grade species representing the operator’s valuation and not below the minimum rate may be used throughout a region if found APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 45 to be most practicable ancl satisfactory. In any event the prices of the better timbers must be adjusted to yield the total margin for profit and risk called for by the appraisal. Stumpage Prices for Special Products. The methods of appraisal previously discussed should be used where the main products of an operation are other than lumber, as shingles, crossties, poles, or mine timbers. Average selling prices will be determined for the product in the form in which the usual operator disposes of it, as manufactured shingles, hewn or slabbed ties, etc., and operating costs back to the stump, depreciation and profit margin estimated. Rates of margin for profit and risk similar to those discussed for saw-log sales should be allowed in operations of similar size, conditions of accessibility, operating difficulties, and risks, except where other rates have been indicated. (See p. 41.) Stumpage rates for special products should be based as far as possible upon the unit of measure 'common in local trade, as the piece in case of poles and crossties, the linear foot for mining timbers, the stacked cord for shingle bolts or fuel, etc. APPRAISALS FOR SMALL SALES. Small Operations Irregular. Small operations are seldom as closely organized and well supervised as those of good size and permanence. Equipment is usually less efficient, capital in- adequate, and labor frequently unskilled and transient. Costs are hence least uniform in small operations and nearly always higher. Care must be taken in such appraisals not to impose impracticable standards, but to figure on the level of the conditions found in that region for that type of operations. Appraisals Based on Methods in Use. It is the policy of the Forest Service to base appraisals in small operations upon the methods of logging and manufacture actually employed, even if com- paratively inefficient. As far as practicable, small mills should be classified by output and average costs determined by classes, which cover existing conditions as to character of labor available, amount of capital upon which the business is run, and the kind and efficiency of equipment. Such average costs may be used in appraisals when desirable with only such variations as the particular conditions on each chance require. Lumber Prices. The lumber prices used in such appraisals will similarly be the local prices actually obtained by these small operators, unless the region is so isolated that outside timber does not compete with the National Forest timber. In the latter case, the lumber price should be based upon the rates obtained for sim- ilar material in other portions of the National Forest district where compet- itive conditions exist. Small Operations Competing in General Markets. For small operations whose product is sold in general markets in competition with large plants the average lumber prices prevailing in such markets will necessarily be taken as the basis of appraisals. The grade and quality of the product, which is usually poorer than lumber manufactured by large mills, should, however, be considered. Otherwise the policy indicated above as to efficiency of methods and labor and scale of profits will be followed. As indicated under “ Size and type of plants,” page 9, investments will be estimated and appraisals made on the basis of small operations wherever it is practicable for them to handle the timber. 46 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. If larger operations are clearly more practicable and logical, however, and the timber has been appraised accordingly, the resulting prices must be paid by any purchaser who takes the stumpage. Two standards of value obviously can not be set for the same material. Under such circumstances no concessions to the inefficiency of the small operator can be made. Schedules of Prices for Small Sales. District foresters may authorize supervisors to establish schedules of stumpage prices for specified parts of their Forests to be used in small sales. This should be done only where conditions are so generally uniform that differences in intensive appraisals of the various sale areas involved would be slight. Such schedules should be worked out under the Supervisor’s direction in accordance with the methods described in these instructions, by the use of average selling prices, logging costs, and investments. SAFEGUARDS AND CHECKS. Check by Appraiser’s Judgment. As indicated on page 6 all appraisals should be checked by the judgment and business sense of the appraiser. The prices actually recommended should be plainly stated, with the considerations on which they are based, as well as the rates obtained by strict application of these instructions. Check by Money Margin per Thousand Feet. The dollars and cents profit per thousand feet is a direct and tangible check which should always be used. Viewing the timber, the chance, and the invest- ment in a broad way, and comparing them with corresponding operations, the appraiser should satisfy himself as to the fairness and sufficiency of this amount. Prices Bid in Former Sales. Prices bid for timber in previous sales, with due allowance for difference in quality, accessibility, and other telling conditions, also afford an excellent check. As far as practicable their fairness should be gauged by observation of the suc- ceeding operations. Bid prices are of special value as checks, because indicating just what local operators, under all the conditions involved, National Forest sale regulations included, are willing to pay for stumpage. As a general rule, the rate of margin for profit and risk indicated by current bids should govern appraisals in timber comparable in quality and accessibility. Current Stumpage Appraisals. Uniform stumpage rates for timber of the same general quality and accessi- bility in a given region stabilize the sales business and promote the confidence of purchasers. They also afford an excellent check against hasty or erroneous appraisals. Prevailing prices should never be applied to the ignoring of the quality of the timber and the production costs on a particular chance. The appraiser should, however, check his results by the going and accustomed rates for the general type of stumpage and location, and satisfy himself that any departures are justified. Points of this nature should be covered in appraisal reports. Prices of Private Timber. A further check is afforded by the rates at which private commercial stumpage is held or sold. When owned by timberinen, who know its worth, particularly in regions where buying is active, the price of privately owned stumpage repre- sents the consensus of business judgment as to the sum total of all factors, fluctu- ating lumber markets, reasonable profits, and logging risks included. Care must of course be exercised to consider timber which is comparable in quality and APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 47 availability and to take only prices obtained by owners who are able to secure full value. Another point of great importance, particularly in comparisons between large tracts, is that, in the case of privately owned timber, carrying charges for interest and taxes in effect double the investment every ten years. Under National Forest sales, with no taxes, no interest on deferred payments, and deposits for stumpage only in small installments in advance of cutting, no such increase in the initial investment takes place. This may be offset by the gain to the private owner from increasing values of lumber which is only realized in part by the operator under a National Forest contract. As a gen- eral rule, however, private stumpage in large blocks is worth less than similar stumpage on a National Forest. Small sales of privately owned timber, purchased under competitive conditions for immediate operation, serve as excellent checks on the appraised values of similar chances of National Forest timber. METHODS OF APPRAISING STUMPAGE; APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED. The application of the principles of appraising stumpage which have been discussed is illustrated by the following concrete examples. These examples show a wide range in cost of operation. They represent different operating and wage conditions. • They are given primarily to illustrate the application of fundamental principles. Whether or not the costs are applicable now is immaterial. No attempt is made to show accurate costs in all details, but for the purpose for which they are used they are as satisfactory as accurate current figures would be. The costs must be determined on each chance by the appraiser. SYMBOLS FOR ELEMENTS IN APPRAISALS. For convenience in appraisals, the following symbols will be used for various elements in the calculation. For uniformity and ease in checking, any symbols employed — and their use is entirely a matter of convenience — should conform with those given. The symbols are all in terms of one thousand board feet. D =Depreciation. P=Margin for profit and risk. A = Average fixed investment. W= Working capital. F=Residual or wrecking value. C— Operating costs. .^^Maintenance. G= General expense. !F=Taxes and insurance. R=Extra costs of logging due to Service regulations. 8= Selling price of lumber. X= Stumpage price. Lc= All logging costs. Mc= All manufacturing costs. EXAMPLES OF THE INVESTMENT METHOD. In the three examples following, the investment method of computing the margin for profit and risk has been used. 1. A SMALL OPERATION IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. A total stand of 12,610 M feet is available to a central mill site, of which 9,000 M feet may be cut under the established methods of marking. This con- sists of green Douglas fir, 76 per cent; green Engelmann spruce, 22 per cent; and merchantable dead timber of both species, 2 per cent. 48 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. The applicant’s mill is at present located 8 miles from the new setting. The initial cost of this mill was $6,000. It has been operated 3 years out of a total life for small semiportable plants at this type of 10 years. It is therefore reckoned as having depreciated one-third and is now rated at $4,000. A cut of 9,000 M feet will last it 6 years, at which time it will have an approximate wreck- ing value of $1,000. The appraisal is therefore based upon an operation of 6 years. The present value of the operator’s logging equipment, horses, sleds, lumber trucks, harness, tools, etc., is put at $5,000. Its depreciation is figured at the rate of $600 per year, leaving a residual value at the end of the operation of $1,400. The operating costs for which working capital is required total $12.75 per thousand feet log scale, or $19,125 for the year’s cut.4 The bulk of the lumber is sold and paid for within six months after felling, the average turn of the working capital being four months. On this basis, with a small margin for contingencies, working capital is figured at $8,000. The investments and depreciations may be summarized in the standard form, all investments being made the first year and all depreciations prorated evenly over 6 years. Item. Initial in- vestment. Yearly de- preciation. Wrecking value. Average profit- bearing investment. Hogging equipment, $5,000 1,350 350 100 4.000 8.000 $600. 00 225. 00 58.33 16. 67 500. 00 $1,400 1,000 8,000 $3, 500. 00 787. 50 204. 17 58. 33 2, 750. 00 8,000. 00 Road construction, 4J miles up creek to mill site, at $300 . Moving mill (8 miles) and setting up Clearing logway and improving spring at mill site Mill and equipment Working capital Total 18,800 1, 400. 00 10, 400 15,300.00 In accordance with the standard policy for such operations, a margin of 25 per cbnt on the average investment will be allowed ; 25 per cent of $15,300 is $3,825. This, with the yearly depreciation of $1,400, makes a total of $5,225 to be prorated over the annual cut. The equivalent charge per thousand feet log $5,225 scale is ^ 5qqj^ or $3.48 per thousand feet. Two dollars and fifty-five cents of this amount is margin for profit and risk and 93 cents depreciation. The logging costs may be summarized as follows, all in thousand board feet log scale: Item. C. M. G. T. R. Total. Felling and bucking $1.10 $1.10 .40 .05 .25 1.60 1.50 .10 1.00 .02 Brush piling and burning $0.40 .05 Felling snags Construction of logging roads .25 1.60 1.50 Skidding Hauling to mill Upkeep of logging equipment $0. 10 Supervision $1.00 Taxes $0.02 Total 4.45 .10 1.00 .02 .45 6.02 4 This includes an assumed stumpage rate of $3, all logging costs except supervision, and all milling costs extended to log scale by 10 per cent oevrrun. The supervision charge is, in this instance, a return to the operator himself, coming at the end of the year or whenever a surplus accumulates. It need not, therefore, be covered by working capital. The transportation charge from mill to market is also eliminated, since it is incurred just prior to sale and can be assumed fairly as paid by a portion of the product. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 49 Logging roads are short, used for the most part less than one year. It is therefore simpler to charge the cost of their construction to operating expenses rather than to fixed investment. Supervision is inserted to cover the personal services of the operator. This is based upon an annual salary of $1,500 spread over the cut. Although in fact applying to the whole operation, it may as conveniently be charged against logging as split between logging and milling. This charge is higher per thou- sand feet than in a large, efficiently organized operation. Its inclusion is necessary, however, to provide adequately for the element of personal initia- tive and enterprise in a sale of this character. Taxes are obtained as a 1 per cent valuation of the average investment in logging equipment prorated over the annual cut. This is based upon an assess- ment of one-third of the actual value and a levy of 3 cents on the dollar. Milling costs may be summarized likewise, per thousand feet lumber tally, with the total extended to log scale. Item. C. M. T. Total. 1 Milling (including sawing, edging, surfacing 25 per cent of cut, and piling). Upkeep of mill $4.00 $4.00 .20 .04 .06 2. 50 $0.20 Mill taxes $0. 04 .06 Insurance on mill and yard stock Hauling to market (7 miles) 2. 50 Total 6. 50 .20 .10 6.80 7.48 Extended by 10 per cent overrun ($6.80X1.10) The figure of $4 for milling is the average of 4 mills of this general type and output in the region. Mill taxes are computed, like logging taxes, as 1 per cent of the average value of the property. This includes 330,000 feet of lumber, or two months’ cut,5 6 which is assumed to be carried steadily on hand. Insurance is figured as a 2 per cent premium on three-fourths of the average value of mill and yard stock.® Selling costs are included in the supervision item of $1, this part of the work being handled by the operator personally. The lumber is marketed in an agricultural valley, the distributing point being approximately 7 miles by wagon haul from the mill. Seventy-five per cent of the cut of green timber of both species is sold in the rough as boards and dimen- sion stock, at a delivered rate of $16. Twenty-five per cent is surfaced for finish and sold at a delivered rate of $24. The average lumber selling price of green timber is thus: 75 per cent rough and dimension, at *$16 $12 25 per cent finish, at $24 6 Average selling price 18 5 It is assumed that the mill will operate 10 months in the year, cutting 150,000 feet of logs per month, or figuring overrun at 10 per cent, 165,000 feet of lumber. 6 The average value of the mill used in calculating taxes and insurance is $2,750, the average interest-bearing investment. The value of the yard stock of 330,000 feet is : Assumed stumpage rate, $3, and logging costs, exclusive of supervision, $5.02, both $8 02 reduced to mill-tally basis ; that is ^ 10=$7.29 ; together with milling costs, $4.20. The latter exclude taxes, insurance, and haulage. The total of $11.49 times 330,000 makes the average yard stock worth $3,791.70. 50 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Dead timber is all cut into rough boards. On account of stain and check, it commands a lower price than green, averaging $15 per thousand feet. The stumpage averages 16 logs per thousand feet. With a circular saw of one- fourth inch kerf and relatively inefficient methods of manufacture, overrun can not be placed conservatively at more than 10 per cent. The average lumber selling prices extended to log scale are thus: For green timber ($18X1.10) $19.80 For dead timber ($15X1.10) 16.50 Stumpage rates may then be determined by the formula, X— 8 — Lc — Mc—D—P, all in terms of log scale, as follows : For green timber: $19.80 — $6.02— $7.48— $0.93— $2.55=$2.82. For dead timber : $16.50 — $16.98, as above, == — $0.48. Putting a minimum price of 50 cents on the dead stumpage, the total amount which must be carried by the green timber to offset the loss on the dead and allow the minimum stumpage of 50 cents per thousand feet is as follows : 0 02 X 0 98 0 98~ — =0.02 per thousand to be taken from the indicated price of green timber. Hence the final prices become: For dead timber, 50 cents per thousand feet; for green timber, $2.80 per thousand feet. The total return of the operator under this calculation is $1 for supervision (personal services) and $2.55 on his investment, or $3.55. This is deemed equitable for small operations of this type. 2. A MIDDLE-SIZED OPEEATION IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. This chance will cut approximately 80,000,000 feet. Eighty per cent of the stand is yellow pine, the remainder Douglas fir and western larch. The opera- tion is planned for 10 years at an annual cut, log scale, of 8,000,000 feet. The central point of the business is on a trunk line railroad where the planing mill is located. It has a rated value of $15,000. It will be well main tained with a view to succeeding operations and should have a residual value of $10,000 at the end of the sale. From this central point an existing common carrier railroad, forming a tap line or feeder for the main system, runs near the chance. It is proposed to build a single band mill, with a capacity of 40,000 feet of lumber daily, on the sale area. It will cost $30,000 and have a residual value of $10,000 at the end of the operation. Freight on green rough lumber between these points is equivalent to $2.50 per thousand feet. Five miles of railroad connecting the mill with the tap line and running up into the woods will be used during the entire operation. Its estimated cost beneath the steel is $1,900 per mile. In addition, the following branches will be required: (1) A lateral 2 miles long, to be used 2 years; (2) a lateral 5 miles long, to be used 5 years; (3) short spurs, totaling 12 miles, to be used on the average 1 year. These laterals and spurs will cost on the average $1,200 per mile beneath the steel ; 9 miles of steel all told will be required. This will cost $2,200 per mile, and is estimated to be worth half that amount at the end of the operation. One light engine with gypsy loader and rolling stock, costing all told $12,000, are required for log hauling. Their residual value is estimated at $3,000. For logging to rail, eight teams will be required. Their cost with harness is $400 each. Skidding equipment will cost $2,000. The maintenance charge on APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 51 teams and skidding outfits will necessarily be heavy, amounting to $800 a year. With this expenditure for maintenance, however, the value of the equipment will be kept close to its initial cost. Its residual value may therefore be reckoned at $3,000. Further items of investment may be listed as follows: Item. Amount. Residual value. Wood camps $2,000 1,500 Shop and tools $500 W oods and track tools 500 Working capital 35,000 35,000 The working capital is computed as follows: Current costs for logging and stumpage will be turned every four months. These aggregate $6.28, including an assumed stumpage rate of $3 for pine (80 per cent) and $1 for fir and larch (20 per cent). The freight and milling costs, which average $8.53, log scale, for all species, are turned every two months. The working capital required |6 28 $8 53 is thus — ^ — or $3.51 for each thousand feet, log scale, inv the year’s cut. On 8,000,000 feet this amounts to $28,080. Twenty-five per cent has been added as leeway for contingencies, making the total $35,000. The investments and depreciations may be summarized as follows: Item. Planing mill Sawmill Railway steel... 1 Main logging railway grade First lateral railway grade Second lateral railway grade Spur railway grades Engine, loader, and rolling stock , Teams and skidding equipment. Camps Shop and tools Woods and track tools Working capital Total Initial investment. Number of years used. Annual deprecia- tion. Residual value. Average profit-bearing investment. $15,000 10 $500 $10,000 $12,750 30,000 10 2,000 10,000 21,000 19, 800 10 990 9,900 15,345 9,500 10 950 5,225 2,400 2 240 360 6,000 5 600 1,800 14,400 1 1,440 1,440 12,000 10 900 3,000 7,950 5,200 10 220 3,000 4, 210 2,000 10 200 1,100 1,500 10 100 500 1,050 500 10 50 275 35,000 10 35,000 35,000 153,300 8, 190 71,400 107,505 The average investment at work in the operation and entitled to profit is thus $107,505. Former competitive bids for timber in this region, which is relatively accessible and involves but average risks, and for chances which are comparable in size and permanency of the operation indicate that a return of 18 per cent on the investment is a fair going basis for sales of National Forest stumpage. At this rate the annual profit (18 per cent of $107,505) amounts to $19,350.90, or $2.42 per thousand feet, log scale. $8 190 The annual depreciation charge is g qqq m or $1.02 per thousan4 feet, log scale. 52 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. The operating costs are estimated as follows : Logging per 1,000 feet log scale. Item. C. M. G. T. R. Total. Felling and bucking $0.80 $0.80 .40 .04 1.10 .30 .30 .10 .15 .20 .25 .02 .02 Brush disposal $0.40 .04 Felling snags Yarding 1.10 .30 .30 Landings and grading Railroad operation Maintenance of teams and skidding equipment $0.10 .15 .20 Railroad maintenance Maintenance of rolling stock Supervision $0.25 Taxes on logging equipment $6.02 .02 Liability insurance 1 Total 2.50 .45 .25 .04 .44 3.68 Manufacture and transportation per 1,000 feet lumber tally. « Item. C. M. G. T. Total. Sawing in rough and piling on cars at sawmill $1.90 $1.90 .20 2. 50 2. 10 .60 .10 .20 .06 .01 .07 .30 Maintenance of sawmill $0.20 Freight to main line railroad 2.50 2. 10 .60 Planing and finishing (yellow pine) Seasoning, yard handling and loading Maintenance of planing mill .10 Supervision of sawmill and planing mill $0.20 Taxes on saw mill, planing mill, and yard stock 1. $0.06 .01 .07 Liability insurance Mill and lumber insurance 1 Selling costs .30 Total 7. 10 .30 .50 .14 8.04 i In these items the average yard stock carried at the planing mill is put at 1,200,000 feet of pine and 300, uuO feet of larch and fir. Pine is credited with an average cost of $13.67, and larch and fir with an average cost of $10.45. These are based upon (1) assumed stumpage rates of $3 for pine and $1 for larch and fir, (2) log- ging costs of $3.68 and (3) milling and transportation costs of $7.60 and $6.20, respectively. Stumpage charges and logging costs are reduced for 10 per cent overrun. Milling costs are exclusive of taxes, insur- ance, and selling charges. Not more than 20 per cent of the larch and fir lumber is dressed as compared with 60 per cent of the pine lumber. The average cost of planing and finishing larch and fir is therefore 70 cents per 1,000 feet on the total of these species. The total cost of manufacture and transportation in the case of larch and fir is therefore $1.40 less than for pine, or $6.64. This timber runs from 8 to 10 logs per 1,000 feet. Results obtained in current sales, however, indicate that an overrun exceeding 10 per cent can not be used safely in stumpage appraisals in this locality. Extended for this overrun, the milling and transportation cost for yellow pine, log scale, is $8.04X1,100, or $8.84 ; and for larch and Douglas fir, $6.64X1,100, or $7.30. From study of current manufacture of similar timber in local mills and com- pilation of selling prices during the past two years, the average cut and selling price of yellow pine, by grades, are ascertained to be as follows: APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 53 Grade. Per cent of cut. Grade price. Weight in average price. B select and better 2 $46.00 $0.92 C select 8 34.00 2.72 No. 1 shop 15 24.00 3.60 No. 2 shop 20 16. 00 3.20 No. 3 shop 25 12.50 3. 12 No. 1 common .* 20 14.00 2.80 No. 2 common 5 12. 00 .60 No. 3 common 5 10. 00 .50 Total : 100 17. 46 The average cut and selling price of western larch and Douglas fir, by grades, have been similarly ascertained to be approximately as follows : Grade. Per cent of cut. Grade price. Weight in average price. Finished stock, flooring, etc 6 54 40 $16.00 12.00 10.00 $0.96 6.48 4.00 No. 2 common , No. 3 common Total 100 11.44 Extended by 10 per cent overrun, the average selling prices, log scale, are : For yellow pine, $17.46X1,100, or $19.21. To this should be added $0.30, the net return per thousand feet log scale from the sale of slabwood (0.5 cord per thousand at $0.60). For larch and Douglas fir, $11.44X1,100, or $12.58. The stumpage rates may now be calculated as follows : For yellow pine: Average selling price $19. 51 Depreciation $1.02 Margin for profit and risk 2. 42 Logging 3.68 Manufacture and transportation 8. 84 Total 15. 96 Balance for stumpage 3. 55 For larch and Douglas fir: Average selling price 12. 58 Depreciation 1. 02 Margin for profit and risk 2. 42 Logging 3.68 Manufacture and transportation 7.30 Total 14.42 Deficit 1. 84 With the established minimum rate of 50 cents per thousand feet for larch and Douglas fir, the total deficit of $2.34 on these species may be distributed on the pine stumpage as follows: ^ 2°AQr>2 = approximately $0.58 to reduce the stumpage of the yellow pine. 54 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. The final stumpage rates are: Per M. Yellow pine ($3.55— $0.58) $2.97 Larch and Douglas fir . 50 Prorating the annual charge for depreciation and profit on net value instead of quantity, in accordance with the principles discussed on page 42 stumpage prices by species are obtained as follows : Deducting operating costs only from average selling prices, the margin is: For yellow pine, $6.99 per thousand feet, log scale ; for larch and fir, $1.60 per thousand feet, log scale. With a yearly cut of 6,400,000 feet of pine and 1,600,000 feet of larch and fir, the total margin is $47,296. The sum of yearly depreciation and profit margin is $27,541. Dividing the latter figure by the former, it is ascertained that each dollar of margin must pay $0,582 toward depreciation and profit margin. On yellow pine, therefore, these charges amount to $4.07 per thousand feet, leav- ing $2.92 for stumpage. On larch and fir, they amount to $0.93 per thousand feet, leaving $0.67 for stumpage. The average price is the same as that obtained under the first computation. The second method is to be preferred as more logical and less arbitrary. 3. A LARGE OPERATION IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. This chance is estimated to cut, under Service methods of marking, 600,000,000 feet in a 20-year operation. The timber consists of the following species : Per cent. White pine 27 Yellow pine 4 Lodgepole pine I Engelmann spruce 3 Per cent. Western larch and Douglas fir 33 Western red cedar 25 White fir 7 The chance is exceptionally adapted to railroad logging. From a central point, where the system of logging spurs would logically begin, the most prac- ticable route to the nearest railroad connections requires 32 miles of track. The first 20 miles of this distance taps a region of extensive agricultural resources. Behind it lies a heavily timbered belt which contains upward of 6,000,000,000 feet. There is little doubt that permanent traffic in timber and agricultural products will maintain this portion of the railroad as a common carrier, and that considerable freight outside of the National Forest sale will contribute to its support from the outset. The cost of this portion of the railroad is estimated at $20,000 a mile. Two- fifths of the total expenditure of $400,000 will be made two years, and three- fifths one year in advance of the beginning of the operation. Including interest on these amounts, for two and one years, respectively, at 6 per cent, the initial investment is computed as $433,600. This investment does not depreciate, but with adequate charges for maintenance remains intact throughout the opera- tion. The permanent traffic then available will give it a residual value equal to the first cost. In the stumpage appraisal this tap-line railroad may be treated in either of two ways. First, it may be handled as an integral part of the operation, like other in- vestments. In that case, because of its permanency and low risk, a return of 10 per cent annually is believed to be equitable. It is but fair, furthermore, to* charge a portion of this return to the outside traffic available for the road. It is the appraiser’s judgment that such outside traffic during the sale period APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 55 as a whole should net $25,000 a year over and above its proportionate share of the cost of rolling stock, operation, and maintenance. This leaves $18,360 as. the annual charge for profit on the tap line to be borne by the National Forest stumpage, in addition to its portion of the cost of operation, maintenance, and rolling stock. Second, the tap line may be regarded as an independent business enterprise. In this case its only relation to the timber sale is as a common carrier which will transport the product on a freight-tariff basis. A freight-tariff, under this assumption, is thus substituted for the combined charges for rolling stock, operation, maintenance, and profit under the first assumption. In comparison with other railroads making similar hauls, the freight rate is figured at 55 cents per thousand feet of logs, log cars being furnished and maintained by the shipper. The remaining 12 miles of railroad will be a logging road primarily, but will tap fully as much private as Government timber. From careful study of the location and ownership of this timber, it is concluded that to prorate the cost of the logging railroad three-fifths to the National Forest chance and two-fifths to adjacent private stumpage will be safe and equitable. The cost of this main logging road, or feeder, including steel, is put at $6,000 per mile. The initial investment, $43,200 of which is to be carried by the Government timber, will be fully depreciated during the 20-year period allowed for the operation. The average investment in the feeder should return the same profit allowed for the capital used in the operation as a whole. The best location for a manufacturing plant is 92 miles from the chance, at a good-sized valley town. The low elevation, making conditions for seasoning lumber and continuous operation of the mill much more favorable, and better facilities for railroad shipments more than offset the distance from the timber. This location will require a log haul of 60 miles from the end of the tap line over an existing railroad, at a quoted charge of 80 cents per thousand feet log scale, with cars furnished by the shipper. The manufacturing site is estimated to cost $25,000. This will be a perma- nent investment, in a rapidly growing town, subject to no risk and with every prospect of appreciation in value. As in the case of the tap line, therefore, no depreciation will be figured and a return of 10 per cent throughout the life of the sale will be adequate. With an annual cut of 30,000,000 feet, this will amount to approximately 8 cents per thousand feet, log scale. The plant itself, a double-band sawmill and planing mill, will cost $255,000. The location is one of the most permanent to be found anywhere in the West, in a large valley whose drainage contains upward of 30,000,000,000 feet of virgin timber. It ean be fairly assumed, therefore, that the plant will have a life of at least 30 years, or a residual value at the end of the present operation of $85,000. The tract will be logged by railroad spurs extending from the end of the feeder up each of its three main watersheds. Three miles of main logging spur will de- velop the first watershed, which will furnish about four years’ cut at 30,000,000 feet of logs annually. Three miles of main spur must then be constructed to the junction of the second and third watersheds, each of which will furnish about eight years’ supply of logs. An extension of the main spur 9 miles up each of these streams will be necessary. Approximately 58 miles of branch spurs will be required on the three watersheds. These branches can, however, be operated with 8 miles of steel in continuous use. The logging will require therefore, 3 miles of steel for the main logging spurs during the first four years, thereafter 12 miles; and 8 miles of steel for the branch spurs throughout the entire sale. Seventeen and one-half per cent of the timber, on agricultural lands which are to be cut clean, will be logged by steam machinery. The rest 56 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS, will be logged with horses. Woods improvements will consist of trail chutes and a few short pieces of flume. The investments required in the operation, aside from the tap line and mill site, are summarized in the following table: Summary of in/vestments. Item. Manufacturing plant Main logging railroad Main logging spurs: i 3 miles steel, at $3,090 3 miles grading, at $1,500 9 miles steel, at $3,090 3 miles grading, at $1,600 9 miles grading, at $1,600 9 miles grading, at $1,500 Switch layouts Branch logging spurs: 8 miles steel, at $2,300 58 miles grading, at $1,200 Logging and railroad equipment: 3 4 donkey engines, at $7,500 120 sets teams and outfits with woods tools, at $700 7 locomotives, at $12,000 < 300 log cars, at $500 3 6 log jammers, at $5,000 Miscellaneous equipment: Portable railroad camps 6 Log camps Railroad shop and equipment Working capital 8 Total Initial in- vestment. Number of years used. Annual deprecia- tion. Residual value. $255,000 20 $8, 500 $85,000 43,200 20 2, 160 9, 270 20 463 4,500 27, 810 4 225 16 1,112 5, 562 4,800 16 240 14, 400 8 720 13, 500 8 675 1,000 20 50 18, 400 20 920 69, 600 2 2 3,480 30, 000 10 1,500 84,000 5 4, 200 84, 000 10 4,200 150, 000 10 7,500 30,000 10 1,500 6, 000 10 300 9,000 7 4 450 2, 000 20 100 220, 000 20 220,000 1,076,480 1 38,295 310, 562 Average profit- bearing in- vestment. $174,250 22, 680 4,866 562 13,905 2,040 3,240 3,037 525 9,660 5,220 8, 250 12, 600 23, 100 41, 250 8,250 1,650 1, 125 1,050 220, 000 557,260 1 All items for railroad steel and iron are depreciated at 5 per cent annually. * Two years is the average period of use of each spur grade. 3 The initial investments include replacements throughout the life of the sale. Logging machinery, locomotive5, and rolling stock depreciate completely in 10 years; hence double the average stock in use at any given time is figured. Teams and tools depreciate completely in 5 years; hence four times the average stock is provided for. * Three locomotives will be sufficient for the first 10 years; for the last 10 yeras four will be needed. 8 This is based upon log transportation for the entire distance over tap line and present railroad to the manufacturing plant, requiring 150 cars in continuous use. 8 Two complete sets, at $3,000 each and each lasting 10 years, are provided for. 7 Four years is the average period of use of the log camps. 8 The working capital is arrived at as follows: It is estimated that an average yard stock equivalent to about one-third of the annual cut must be kept on hand. This has a cost value, excluding depreciation and profit and including an assumed average stumpage price of $1.50, of $12.99 per thousand feet log scale (taking the lower schedule of costs, p. 58). It is also figured that an average supply of 3,000,000 feet of logs should be kept ahead of cutting at the mill, and 2,000,000 feet of logs ahead of railroading in the woods . The cost value of the former is $7.59, and of the latter. $5.03. Stumpage at $1.50 is included in each case. Accounts receivable are estimated at $32,475. This is equivalent to one month’s sales, 2,500,000 feet, at a cost value of $12.99. While many sales will be made on 60-day payments, it is believed that they will be offset by an equivalent amount of cash business. The average outstanding deposit for stumpage is put at $5,000: and the average amount required as a margin to meet contingencies at $20,000. These items are then: 10.000. 000 feet of yard stock, at $12.99 $129, 900 3.000. 000 feet of logs at mill, at $7.59 22, 770 2.000. 000 feet of logs on landings, at $5.03 10, 060 Accounts receivable 32, 475 Running deposit on stumpage 5, 000 Contingencies * 20, 000 Total 220,205 This may be checked from the total yearly operating cost and frequency of turn. The cost of the year’s cut, exclusive of depreciation and profit, is $389,700 (30,000,000 at $12.99). This would indicate an average turn of about seven months— which is liberal but not excessive for a large operation of this nature. This operation involves the development of a manufacturing and logging in- dustry in an entirely new region and the exploitation of a chance now wholly inaccessible. Risks beyond the ordinary are involved in : 1. Climatic conditions, no large operations or extensive construction work having been conducted heretofore in these mountains. 2. Acquisition of additional timber to carry two-fifths of the investment in the main logging railroad. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 57 3. Working out successfully in the main transportation problem which in- volves (1) satisfactory traffic and log haul agreements with an established common carrier, and (2) enlisting other capital to construct the tap line or de- veloping outside traffic to carry the tap line if built as part of the lumbering plant. Under these conditions a return of 20 per cent annually on the invested capital is deemed equitable and necessary to place the chance upon the market. With an average investment of $557,260, the annual charge for profit margin is thus $111,452; or, on an annual cut of 30,000,000 feet, $3.71 per 1,000 feet. The annual charge for depreciation is $1.27 per 1,000 feet. The logging costs are summarized as follows : Stump to upper terminus of tap line. Item. C. M. G. T. R. Total. Felling and bucking $0.70 $0.70 Swamping, skidding, yarding, and landing 1 1.55 1.55 Brush disposal $0. 55 .55 Girdling defective white fir 2 .02 .02 Loading .21 .21 Onrrent improvements 3 _ .20 .20 Railway operation .36 .35 Maintenance, logging equipment $0.11 .11 Railway maintenance .27 .37 Maintenance of rolling stock .10 .10 Oil burning, 60 days annually .12 .12 Taxes and insurance $0. 15 .15 Administration and foremen $0. 40 .40 Total 3.02 .48 .40 .15 .69 4. 74 1 Based upon 17£ per cent power logging at $1.22 and 82| per cent horse logging at $1.63. 2 This is a special silvicultural requirement proposed for the sale area. 3 This charge covers trail chutes, flumes, landings, and other current improvements aside from railroad grades, which are provided for under under fixed investments. The cost of manufacture and sales, exclusive of depreciation, has been aver- aged for a number of large mills in the Inland Empire similar to the proposed plant at $4.50 per thousand feet lumber tally. Mill scale studies conducted at these plants indicate that 20 per cent is a conservative figure for overrun under Forest Service scaling in this class of timber. The milling charge per thousand feet log scale is thus $4.50X1,200, or $5.40. If the appraisal is based upon the assumption that the tap line can be con- structed practically as a common carrier independent of the lumbering opera- tion, the only other charges to be taken into account are for freight on logs to the manufacturing plant, aggregating $1.35 per thousand feet log scale. If it is assumed that the tap line must be built by the lumbering company as part of the operation, under the conditions above stated, additional charges are necessary, as follows: Profit margin on portion of tap line investment 7 $0. 61 Depreciation of additional rolling stock required 8 . 08 Profit margin on average investment in additional rolling stock 8 | .09 Railway operation9 .25 Railway maintenance 0 . 10 Maintenance of additional rolling stock . 04 Total 1. 17 7 $18,360 prorated annually over 30,000,000 feet. (See top of page 55.) 8 The additional equipment required is 2 engines in current use. Their depreciation, at 10 per cent annually, and average investment are figured as $2,400 and $13,200, respectively. A profit margin of 20 per cent is allowed on the latter figure. 9 These are the estimated proportions of the total costs of operation and maintenance chargeable to the timber. (See pp. 54 and 55.) .58 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. The charge for log freight from the end of this tap line to the mill is 80 cents per thousand feet in any event. Profit margin and production cost, exclusive of stumpage price, may then be summarized as follows: With, tap line as part of operation. With tap line as independ- ent common carrier. Return on investment in mill site. Margin for profit and risk Depreciation Logging costs Milling costs Tap-line transportation Main-line transportation Total $0. 08 $0.08 3. 71 3. 71 1.27 1.27 4. 74 4. 74 5.40 5. 40 1.17 .55 .80 .80 17.17 16. 55 Where different methods of handling the main transportation problem should be considered, as is frequently the case in inaccessible chances, it is desirable for the appraiser to present the cost data under each. In this instance the choice obviously lies between a more and a less conservative policy as to whether the sale of National Forest stumpage should await the general economic develop- ment of the region or whether the Government timber should itself carry the principal burden of such development. Ordinarily the more conservative policy will be followed under such conditions. Stumpage prices will be based, there- fore, upon the lower schedule of costs. The average selling value of the white pine has been determined by the following table: Grades. Per cent of total. Selling value. Weighted value. B Select 5 $45 $2. 25 1.52 C Select 4 38 D Select 6 27 1.62 Shop 3 20 .60 No. 1 Common 30 25 7.50 No. 2 Common 24 21 5. 04 No. 3 Common 15 15 2. 25 No. 4 Common 8 11 .88 No. 5 Common 5 6 .30 Total 100 21. 96 Depreciation in yards _ 5 1.10 20. 86 This checks very close to the averages actually received by operators manu- facturing white pine of similar size and quality. The mill-run prices of the other species have been similarly determined, as follows : Yellow pine $16. 87 Lodgepole pine 15. 00 Engelmann spruce 14. 00 White fir 13.00 Larch, Douglas fir, and cedar 12. 00 ' APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 59 In determining the total value of each species log scale, it is figured that in addition to an overrun of 20 per cent a net return of 40 cents per thousand feet will be obtained for white, yellow, and lodgepole pine from the manufac- ture of lath and a net return of 30 cents per thousand feet for all species from the sale of slab wood and mill waste. The log-scale values of the respective species are therefore : White pine, $20.86, extended for 20 per cent overrun $25. 03 Lath — . 40 Slab wood and mill waste . 30 25. 73 Yellow pine, $16.87, extended for 20 per cent overrun 20. 24 Lath . 40 Slab wood and mill waste : . 30 20. 94 Lodgepole pine, $15, extended for 20 per cent overrun 18. 00 Lath . 40 Slab wood and mill waste . 30 18. 70 Engelmann spruce, $14, extended for 20 per cent overrun 16. 80 Slab wood and mill waste . 30 17. 10 White fir, $13, extended for 20 per cent overrun 15. 60 Slab wood and mill waste 1 . 30 15. 90 Larch, Douglas fir, and cedar, $12, extended for 20 per cent overrun 14. 40 Slab wood and mill waste . 30 14.70 The total charge for margin for profit and risk and for depreciation, $5.06 per thousand feet, is prorated over the margin between operating costs and selling price of the respective species in accordance with the method discussed on page 42.10 The following stumpage prices are obtained: White pine $3.42 Yellow pine 2. 27 Lodgepole pine 1. 74 Engelmann spruce — 1. 35 White fir 1.06 Other species . 78 10 The average margin is $6.63 (average selling price, $18.12, less the operating cost, $5 06 $11.49). ige '63 = $0.76, to be taken from each dollar of margin to make up profit and depreciation. The amount left for stumpage is $0.24 of each dollar of margin. With this figure and the difference between operating costs and the selling price of each species the stumpage rates are readily derived. 60 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. EXAMPLES OF THE OVERTURN METHOD. In the three following examples the overturn method of computing the margin for profit and risk has been used : 1. A SMALL HARDWOOD OPERATION IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. The chance is estimated to contain the equivalent of 2,500,000 feet of timber, of which 1,500,000 feet is saw timber and the balance oak ties and chestnut acid- wood. The most feasible method of operation is by a small portable mill, which will make three sets, in order to reduce the length of the log haul. This type of operation in this region is not systematically organized or efficiently handled. The mill is sometimes closed down to log or to haul lumber to the market, and logging is often discontinued to run the mill or to do other work. With these interruptions a period of three years is figured as necessary, with an annual cut of 500,000 feet, log scale, of saw logs, and one-third of the total volume of the other products. The timber will average about 3,000 feet per acre, 2 logs per tree, and 12 logs per thousand feet. It is sound and of fairly good quality. The following, by species, is the estimated amount of timber to be removed : - M feet, log scale. Tan-bark, tons. Acid- wood, cords. Ties. Chestnut oak 400 600 200 Chestnut 300 1,600 Poplar 300 Yellow pine 200 White and red oa.k _ _ 200 100 Others 100 Total 1,500 600 1,600 300 The lumber will be partially air-dried at the mill yard and then hauled 3} miles to railroad shipping point where it is sold in the rough. It will require 6 teams, 4 wagons, and from 18 to 20 men, working approximately 200 days per year, to remove all the products and deliver them to the market. The average daily output per crew of sawyers is 3,500 feet, and the average amount skidded by one team and teamster is about 2,750 feet. The sawyers do most of the limbing, and this accounts for the small output per day. One swamper will be required for two skidding teams. The following wage scale is used in figuring costs : Per day. Team and teamster $5.00 Woods labor 2.50 Sawyer at mill 4.00 Per day. Engineer $3.00 Ratchet setter 3.00 Other mill labor 2.50 A team can make two turns per day from the mill to the market. The roads are poor. The average load for each class of product is estimated as follows : Lumber, 800 feet ; ties, 12-15 ; acidwood, | cord ; bark, 1 ton. The depreciation of improvements is charged to the saw-log material. The number of man and team days required to do the logging, manufacturing, and hauling the lumber to market are approximately the same as that required to handle the ties, bark, and acidwood. For that reason only part of the super- vision cost and one-half of the depreciation of equipment, except the sawmill, is charged to the logging and milling operations. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 61 The improvements are estimated to cost as follows : 3 miles of roads $300 3 sets of temporary camps 1, 200 3 mill settings 1, 000 Skidways or loading places 150 $2,650 Cost per thousand on 1,500 M feet of logs $1.77 $2,650 Cost per thousand on 1,500 M feet of logs $1.77 The depreciation of equipment is shown by the following table: Item. Initial cost. Life (years). Annual depre- ciation. Amount charged to log- ging and milling. Amount charged to other products. Sawwill $3, 000 2, 100 600 12 $250 $250 None. 6 teams and outfits 5 420 210 $210 4 wagons 4 150 75 75 Small tools 200 1 200 100 100 Cookhouse outfit 150 3 50 25 25 Total 6,050 1,070 660 410 The annual depreciation charge against the saw-log material is $660, or $1.32 per thousand feet, log scale. The remaining depreciation is spread over the other products. Supervision is figured as three-fourths of one man’s time, at $125 per month, or $1,125 per year. Twenty-five per cent of the time of the foreman is not charged directy to supervision, since he will be engaged in miscellaneous work that is accounted for in various costs of operation. It will require about $750 properly to oversee the saw log and milling operations and about $375 to super- vise the operation for ties, bark, and extract wood. Supervision charges against saw logs and milling are therefore $1.50 per thousand feet, log scale; acid wood, 50 cents per cord ; bark, 55 cents per ton ; and ties, 3 cents each. It will require about seven men to run the mill and pile the lumber. The average wage is approximately $2.90 per day, or a daily labor cost of $20.30. Based on a cut of 6 thousand feet per day, the cost per thousand feet, lumber tally, is approximately $3.40. The overrun for 12-log timber, with this type of circular mill, is placed at 10 per cent. The estimated cost of operation for lumber, from stump to f. o. b. cars, including depreciation, is shown in the following table : Improvements — logging and milling Depreciation Supervision Felling and buckling, average of all species 11 Swamping and skidding, average of all species u Loading and hauling, 50%, at $2 12 Brush disposal Per M feet. $1. 77 1. 32 1. 50 1.50 2. 30 1. 00 .60 11 It is recognized that the oaks are more costly to log than the other species. In some cases the appraisal should be based on separate costs for oaks and for others. In this case, in view of the small total amount involved, the averages for all species are used. 13 Half of the logs will be skidded direct to the mill. 62 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. Per M feet. Manufacturing per M lumber $3. 40 Maintenance of mill do . 30 Taxes and insurance do . 50 Hauling to market 11 do 3. 10 Loading on cars Ido . 50 7. 80 10 per cent overrun . 78 $8. 58 Total cost, log scale 18. 57 Margin for profit and risk, at 20 per cent., 3. 71 22.28 The risk is not great in this case, and for that reason a margin of 20 per cent on the cost of operation is considered equitable. The average selling value of the lumber in the rough, f. o. b. cars, and the computation of the stumpage prices for the saw-log material are as follows: Poplar. Pine. White and red oak. Chestnut oak. Chestnut. Others. Selling value per M feet 10 per cent overrun Selling value per M feet, log scale Operating costs and margin, log scale Stumpage indicated $30. 00 3.00 $25. 00 2. 50 $27. 00 2.70 $23.00 2. 30 $22. 50 2.25 $21.00 2. 10 33.00 22.28 27. 50 22.28 29.70 22. 28 25. 30 22. 28 24.75 22.28 23. 10 22.28 10. 72 5.22 7.42 3.02 2.47 .82 The operating costs for the other products and appraised values are esti- mated to be as follows: Ties. Acidwood . Bark. Cutting and making Each. $0. 20 .05 .20 .03 .03 .03 Cord. $1.60 1.00 3.30 .30 .50 . 54 Ton. $2.00 1.40 3.30 .80 .55 .60 Skidding Hauling Loading on cars Supervision Depreciation Total . 54 .05 7.24 .72 8. 65 .86 Margin at 10 per cent Total cost and margin .59 .80 7. 96 8.50 9.51 12.00 Market value Stumpage indicated .21 .54 2. 49 A margin of only 10 per cent is allowed on the ties, acid wood, and bark. Operators are usually willing to handle these products if they can make better than day wages, as has been shown by bids in other sales. 2. A LOGGER’S SALE IN NORTHERN MONTANA. A chance on a drivable stream tributary to the Kootenai River contains 14,000,000 feet, running 76 per cent yellow pine, 16 per cent western larch, and 8 per cent Douglas fir. The timber averages from three to four logs to the tree and eight logs to the thousand feet. The season of high water is short and no APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 63 satisfactory drive can be handled without cleaning about 6 miles of stream bed and constructing two splash dams. The stream has never been driven before. With these improvements, it will be practicable to drive from two to four million feet annually 6 miles to the Kootenai River. The operation will, therefore, extend over four logging seasons. About one-fourth of the timber can be skidded directly from the stump to the landings. Another fourth can be drayed to the creek over an average distance of 1\ miles. Where topography is suitable, logs will be skidded short distances to chutes and handled through them to the creek. Approximately 30 per cent of the timber will be logged in this way. The rest, on account of uphill slopes, must be loaded on sleds and hauled to the landings. The following investments will be required : Item. Initial investment. Number of years used. Annual deprecia- tion. Residual value. Average profit- bearing investment. Set of camps for 30 men $1,500.00 4 $375. 00 $937. 50 3 miles of drav road, at $400 1, 200. 00 2 300. 00 450. 00 1,000 rods of chute, at $2.50 2, 500. 00 2 625. 00 937. 50 2 splash dams, at $1,000. 2, 000. 00 4 500. 00 1, 250. 00 Cleaning 6 miles of stream 1,500.00 4 375. 00 937. 50 Construction of landings 500. 00 2 125. 00 187. 50 Teams, sleds, drays, and woods tools 5,000.00 4 500. 00 $3,000.00 4, 250. 00 W orking capital 1 8, 000. 00 4 8,000.00 8,000.00 Total 22, 200. 00 2,800.00 11, 000. 00 16,950.00 1 The logging season covers 5 months, from Nov. 1 to Apr. 1. Logging costs, exclusive of breaking rollways and driving^ total $3.02, and the stumpage price is assumed to be $2. The average cut is 700,000 feet of logs per month, involving a cost for stumpage and logging of $3,514. It is figured that sufficient capital must be furnished to run the camp 2 months, or $7,028, with a margin of $1,000 for contingencies. The logs are delivered in Kootenai River and paid for in May. Driving charges and logging costs for the last 3 months of the season can usually be carried on the operator’s books until the logs are sold. Often, indeed, contracts are made under which part payment is advanced on the scale of the logs in rollways. Logging costs are summarized as follows: Depreciation of fixed investments (2,80(H-3,500,000) Felling and cutting, by contract : Swamping Brush disposal Skidding Chuting, draying, and hauling Tote team Horse feed : li! 1 I Blacksmithing and repairs ___ Decking in rollways Breaking rollways Driving to Kootenai River General expense, clerk, etc $0. 80 .70 .40 v 25 .45 .40 .03 . 15 .14 .30 .15 .30 .20 Total 4. 27 The current log price for mixed runs of these species on Kootenai River is $7.50 13 per thousand feet. The cost of driving downstream 25 miles to a large going mill, which forms the only available market, and booming is $1 per thousand feet. The standard manufacturing cost at this plant, including de- preciation on mill and equipment, is $5 per thousand feet, lumber tally. The 13 In this instance, however, the manufacturers furnish a part of the capital required by the loggers, which has the effect of an increase in the log price. 64 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. normal overrun in this timber is 20 per cent. This is reduced, however, by loss in driving and storage, to 12 per cent. The average mill-run lumber selling prices are $15 for yellow pine and $12 for larch and Douglas fir, or for the chance: Yellow pine, 76 per cent, at $15 $11. 40 Larch and fir, 24 per cent, at $12 2. 88 Average price 14. 28 Thirty-five per cent on overturn of logging to the Kootenai Rivev is deemed fair, since success depends upon the development and use of a difficult stream not previously driven. Fifteen per cent on the overturn of the main river drive and 20 per cent on manufacture are considered equitable. Using the overturn formula and a separate rate of profit for logging, driving, and manufacturing, the stumpage price is as follows: Per M ft. Logging costs $4. 27 Margin, at 35 per cent 1. 49 Driving 1. 00 Margin, at 15 per cent . 15 Total logging and margin 6. 91 Manufacturing lumber tally ' $5. 00 12 per cent overrun . 60 Margin, at 20 per cent 1. 12 Manufacturing and margin log scale 6. 72 Total cost, stump to f. o. b. cars 13. 63 Lumber value $14. 28 12 per cent overrun 1. 71 Selling value, log scale 15. 99 Stumpage indicated $2. 36 Using the above stumpage and the prevailing log market, the loggers profit would be as follows: $7.50— ($4.27 +$2.36) =$0.87 per thousand or about 20 per cent on the cost of logging. The stumpage values determined from lumber values should govern. Prac- tically all loggers in this region are furnished the operating capital for logging by the manufacturer or mill man. The manufacturer thus carries a large percentage of the risk and is therefore entitled to a reasonable portion of the margin. Loggers should for this reason be willing to divide the margin allowed on logging with the manufacturer who furnishes most of the working capital. This is the reason that the prices actually paid for logs in this region are less than the values determined from lumber values. The alternative method of determining profit on manufacturing in sales of this character is as a percentage of the average investment in the milling plant and working capital required to run it prorated over its total annual cut. The average milling investment in the case discussed may be put at $275,000, with an average yearly cut, log scale, of 30,000,000 board feet. A return of 12$ per cent on this mill investment may be regarded as equitable. This calls for an annual sum for profit margin of $34,375, or $1.14 per thousand feet of logs manufactured. In lieu of this figure, a standardized milling profit, found by experience to be generally applicable throughout the region, might be used. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 65 3. A SALE OF TIE AND MINING TIMBER IN WYOMING. A chance containing 60,000,000 feet of lodgepole pine is to be cut out in five years. Its products, with their average selling prices delivered at the railroad, are as follows: Product. Amount. Per cent of stand. Average price. Hewn railroad ties 518,400 pieces. 27 i $0. 57 Sawed ties 1,036,800 pieces 54 .60 Mine props. . . 720,000 pieces 12 .30 Lumber 2 4,200,000 feet 7 18.00 1 90 per cent standard, at $0.60; 10 per cent seconds, at $0.30. 2 Side lumber only made in cutting sawed ties. The operation of the chance will require the construction of 27 miles of flume from the timber to a river in the main valley below the mountains, down which the ties and other products will be driven to a small storage and loading yard at the railroad. A dam must be built to form a storage reservoir on the sale area, into which the timber is delivered by branch flumes, and two additional dams to control the supply of water for the reservoir and flumes. A sawmill with a daily capacity of 50,000 feet will be built at the outlet of the reservoir to slab or saw the larger logs into ties with a small by-product of side lumber. An old freight road running near the chance must be repaired and 12 miles of additional road built to reach all of the camp sites ; 35 miles of telephone line are required, paralleling the flume, to connect the sawmill, headquarters camp, and flume camps with the office at the railroad. Unloading ground and storage yards at the latter point must be purchased at a cost of approximately $1,000 ; and $1,200 expended for a boom in the river and a jack-chain system to land the ties and other timbers in the yards. Office buildings will, however, be rented. Horse skidding and sled hauling to the reservoir or branch flumes will be em- ployed exclusively. The commissary and store which wall be maintained at the headquarters camp are not included in the appraisal. (See p. 8.) This enterprise, including the construction of the buildings used, the furnishing and hauling of supplies, and the employment of a cook and storekeeper, is regarded as distinct from the tim- ber sale. The seasons for various parts of the operation are : Cutting, June 1 to January 31, eight months. Skidding, July 1 to February 28, eight months. Hauling, November 15 to March 15, four months. Milling, May 15 to October 15, five months. Fluming, May 15 to October 15, five months. The investments necessary will be tabulated in the usual form. Item. Initial investment. Number of years used. Annual deprecia tion. Residual value. Average profit- bearing. investment. 27 miles of flume, at $2,500 $67, 500 2,000 2,000 1, 050 20, 000 5,000 3,600 5 $13, 500 400 $40, 500 1, 200 1, 200 630 Main reservoir dam 5 2 side dams, at $1,000 5 400 35 miles of telephone, at $30 5 210 Sawmill 5 2,000 1, 000 720 $10, 000 16, 000 3,000 1,800 Repairs on freight road 5 12 miles of new road, at $300 14 1 Each of the woods camps and branch roads to them will be in use but part of the total operation. 66 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS, Item. Initial investment. Number of years used. Annual deprecia- tion. Residual value . Average profit- bearing investment Headquarters camp, stables, etc $2, 000 2,000 21, 000 2,400 600 5 $400 $1, 200 800 15,000 1,760 440 1, 680 1, 050 2,280 1,000 Woods camps (4 sets) 1 3 400 60 teams, at $350 5 3,000 320 $6, 000 800 40 sets draft harness, at $60 5 35 sets skidding harness, at $17.15 5 80 200 1, 050 30 logging sleds, at $70 2,100 1, 250 3,000 1, 000 1, 200 102, 000 5 210 10 wagons, at $i25 5 100 750 1,200 1,000 400 102, 000 Axes, saws, peavies, chains, etc 5 360 Landing ground 5 Landing equipment 5 160 880 Working capital 2 5 102, 000 Total 239, 700 23, 260 123, 400 192, 420 1 Each of the woods camps and branch roads to them will be in use but part of the total operation. 2 The calculation of working capital is given in detail on p. 68. The operating costs for the various products are estimated as follows : Item. Hewn ties, per piece. Sawed ties, per piece. Mine props, per piece. Lumber per 1,000 feet. Felling, bucking, hewing, etc $0. 122 $0. 031 $0. 030 $1.00 Brush disposal and cutting defective timber .030 .024 .010 .75 Skidding .050 .031 .050 1. 00 Hauling to flume, including cost of temporary roads .040 . 056 .035 1. 78 Fluming or driving to mill .016 .50 Sawing 1 .055 2. 50 Fluming and driving to railroad and handling in yard . .035 .035 .025 1. 25 Maintenance of improvements and equipment 2 .010 .013 .005 .422 General expenses 2 .017 .022 .009 .742 Total .304 .283 .164 9.944 No overrun can be figured on account of the large part of the logs cut into ties, which are dealt with sepa- rately by the piece, and the inability to flume and market short lengths and low grades. 2 Under these items there is charged against each product only the expenditures for upkeep of improve- ments and equipment, supervision, inspection, office costs, etc., applicable to that part of the operation. The annual depreciation will be prorated over the net value of the year’s cut ; that is, the total margin between operating cost and selling price. This is : Product. Annual cut. Margin per unit. Total margin. Hewn ties Sawed ties Props Lumber pieces.. do do M feet.. 103, 680 207, 360 144, 000 840 $0. 266 .317 .136 8. 056 $27, 578. 88 65, 733. 12 19,584.00 6, 767. 04 Total 119, 663. 04 The mill depreciation, $2,000, should obviously be borne by the mill products, lumber and sawed ties, exclusively. The remaining depreciation, $21,260, is chargeable to the entire cut. The depreciation charge for the several products is thus determined as follows: For the sawmill $2,000 $72,500.16 =$0,028 per dollar of margin on lumber and sawed ties. APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 67 $21 260 For other improvements and equipment - - =$0,178 per dollar of margin on the entire cut of all products. Depreciation on lumber, per thousand feet $1. 66 Depreciation on sawed ties, per piece . 065 Depreciation on hewn ties, per piece . 047 Depreciation on props, per piece . 024 Adding depreciation to the operating costs, the total overturn for the respec- tive products is : Hewn ties $0. 351 Sawed ties . 348 Props Li . 188 Lumber 11. 604 Twenty-five per cent of the overturn is believed to be a fair profit margin for hewn and sawed ties. These are contracted in advance in large quantities, are always in demand, and involve no market risk. The operation requires, how- ever, an exceptional amount of working capital and is subject to more than the ordinary logging risk on account of the possible shortage of water, delays in fluming, and hanging up of part of the year’s cut. The turn is only once a year. A profit margin of 35 per cent is deemed equitable on props and lumber. The market for this material is uncertain, and much of it must often be carried in the yards for considerable periods before it can be sold. The stumpage prices are thus fixed as follows : Product. Overturn. Profit margin. Selling price. Stumpage rate. Hewn ties $0. 351 $0. 08775 $0. 57 .60 $0. 13 .165 Sawed ties .348 .087 Props .188 .0658 .30 .05 Lumber 11. 604 4.0614 18. 00 2.33 The price of sawed ties is equivalent, at the ratio of 32 per thousand feet, to a log scale rate per thousand board feet of $5.31. Since both sawed ties and lumber are manufactured from logs too large for hewing, their respective prices may be averaged in the ratio of 54 to 7 (per cents in the total cut) at $4.97. The large amount of working capital required on account of the limited flum- ing season adapts this chance to appraisal by the investment method more logically than by the overturn method. The need for a large working fund as well as considerable money for improvements makes the enterprise primarily capitalistic in nature. The requirements of the investment method would be met by a return of 20 per cent upon the average profit-bearing investment of $192,420. Twenty per cent is regarded as an equitable margin under the risks indicated. In estimating the working capital for this operation, it is assumed that the average date of delivering the year’s cut at the railroad is August 1, the middle of the fluming season ; and that wages are paid on the 15th of the month following that in which the work was done. The working funds required for logging must cover cash payments for stump- age, labor, horse feed, maintenance, and general expense throughout the cutting, skidding, and hauling seasons and carry these payments until the following August 1. The various expenditures may be tabulated by dates as follows, the 68 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. mimber of months elapsing between each payment and the date of delivery being indicated : Date. Stumpage. Labor. Horse feed. Mainte- nance. General expense. Total. Months carried. June 1 $5, 000 $5,000. 00 1, 107. 50 11,444. 27 8, 625. 79 5,000.00 8, 188. 29 14 15 $500 100 $607. 50 545. 00 13* 12* 11* 11 Julv 15 5, 000 $4,299. 27 5,755. 79 $1,500 1,500 Aug. 15 825 545.00 Sept. 1 5,000 15 5,755. 79 5, 755. 79 5,755. 79 1.500 7.500 325 607.50 10* 9* 8* 8 Oct. 15 5,000 325 545. 00 19, 125. 79 Nov. 15 825 545. 00 7, 125. 79 5, 000. 00 Dec. 1 5, 000 15 7, 542. 61 225 607. 50 8,375.11 8, 312. 61 7* 6* 5* 4* 3* 2* .Tan. 15 7, 542. 61 7, 542. 61 225 545. 00 Feb. 15 5,000 225 545. 00 13, 312. 61 Mar. 15 3, 243. 34 225 607. 50 4,075. 84 545. 00 Apr. 15 545. 00 May 15 545. 00 545. 00 Total 30,000 53, 193. 60 12,000 3,800 6, 790. 00 105, 783. 60 The labor bills paid on July 15 cover felling, bucking, hewing, etc., and brush disposal anl cutting defective trees for one month’s cut of each product; that is, for one-eighth of the annual cut. The wages paid in August, September, Octo- ber, and November cover the same items together with labor charges for one month’s skidding. In the payments for December, January, and February, labor charges for hauling are included. The March pay roll covers only the last month’s hauling and skidding. The cost of horse feed averages $1,500 per month for the eight months while skidding and hauling are in progress. It is necessary, however, to tote in the winter’s supply in September ; hence feed for five months is charged to the Octo- ber expenditures. The expenditures for loose feed are included in the skidding and lumbering costs given on page 66. The payments for maintenance cover the salaries of a blacksmith at $75 per month, two assistant blacksmiths at $50 per month, and a harness maker at $50 per month. These men are employed for eight months, July 15 to March 15. Material for the blacksmith and harness shops costing $1,000 are also included in the payments for maintenance, one-half on August 15 and one-half on Novem- ber 15, together with an expenditure of $1,000 for keeping the flume in repair. Five hundred dollars of the latter item are paid on June 15, the rest in install- ments of $100 during each of the succeeding five months. Under “ general expense ” entries are charged the salaries of a foreman at $200 per month, a bookkepeer at the headquarters camp at $100, and a general agent and bookkeeper at the railroad yards at $125. These are year-round men paid off on the 15th of each month. Other items charged to general expense are the premium on a $20,000 bond, amounting to $250 annually, paid in quarterly installments, beginning June 15 ; rent for the office at the yards, at $20 per month ; and $100 per month to cover miscellaneous items such as selling lumber and props, check scaling, etc. By multiplying the expenditure in each month by the number of months until date of delivery and dividing the sum of these products by 12, the average working capital required for logging operations is found to be $80,176.53. Expenditures for milling, fluming, and driving are incurred during the five months’ season from May 15 to October 15; and average as of August 1, the average date of delivering the year’s cut at the yards. On August 1, therefore, it can be fairly assumed that all milling, fluming, and driving charges have been paid, in addition to the stumpage and logging costs enumerated above. That is, an amount of working capital equivalent to the total annual expenditure for APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 69 stumpage and operating costs is on that date invested in the year’s cut. This amount is readily obtained for each product from the operating costs given on page 66 and the stumpage prices on page 67, as follows : For hewn ties $44, 997. 12 For sawed ties___ 92,897.28 For props 30, 816. 00 For lumber : 10, 310. 16 Both kinds of railroad ties will be sold and paid for within an average of one month after delivery. It is not probable that payment for props and lumber, however, will be received in less than an average of three months. A yearly fund of working capital equivalent to one-twelfth of the total cost of the rail- road ties and one-fourth that of the other products is therefore needed to carry yard stock from date of delivery to date of sale. This amount is $21,772.74 which, added to the working capital used in logging, makes the total for the operation, $101,949.77. AN EXAMPLE OF THE INVESTMENT METHOD FOR LOGGING AND OF THE OVERTURN METHOD FOR MILLING. A FLUME AND DRIVING CHANCE IN THE WESTERN WHITE PINE REGION. This chance is estimated to cut 49,000,000 feet under the standards for marking in this type and region. The chance is figured as a 5-year operation, and for convenience in the ap- praisal the annual cut is rounded oft to 10,000,000. The timber consists of the following species : M feet. Per cent. White pine 39, 200 80 White fir 9,800 ' 20 Total 49, 000 100 The chance, from a topographic point of view, is well suited to a railroad operation. The grade of the main stream varies from; 2 to 4 per cent, and many of the side draws would permit of railroad construction and operation. Railroading would reduce the amount of chuting because the spurs could be constructed farther up the tributaries than a flume could be. The chance, however, is located about 20 miles from a railroad, and for that reason rail- roading is not considered practicable. The most feasible method of operation is fluming, but the operation of the flume on the tributaries is limited by the volume of water. The creek on which this chance is located empties into a fairly good driving stream. Logging begins about May and is generally discontinued in the latter part of November. The drive starts in the latter part of April or first of May, and the logs reach the mill some time in May or June. There is con- siderable timber on the face of the chance which can be chuted directly into the river. This material can be logged while the first portion of the flume is being constructed. The general logging conditions are unfavorable ; the slopes are very steep ; the skidding distances long, and timber rather small. Logging will therefore be very difficult and unusually expensive. The supplies will be freighted by auto truck a distance of about 26 miles, then transferred to wagons and hauled from 5 to 8 miles to the camps. 70 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS, The following tabulations show the estimated average annual profit-bearing investments in logging, the average annual depreciation, the depreciation and the margin for profit and risk per M feet, based on a rate of 20 per cent on all of the investment except stumpage payments and brush disposal. A margin of only 10 per cent is allowed on money invested in stumpage and brush disposal. Item. Initial cost. Years in use. Per- centage deprecia- tion. Average annual deprecia- tion. Residual value. Average annual profit bearing invest- ment. 2 miles of flume, at $8,000 $16,000 5 20 $3,200 None $9, 600 3 miles of flume, at $8,000 24, 000 3 33J 4,800 None 9,600 1.62 miles of flume at $8,000 12, 960 2 50 2, 592 N one 3, 890 3 dams 19,000 5 20 3,800 None 11,400 2 dams 2, 900 3 33J 580 None 1,160 Do 3,150 2 50 630 None 950 2 camps 8, 500 5 20 1,700 N one 5,100 Do 8,000 3 33£ 1,600 None 3,200 3 camps ■ 14,000 2 50 2,800 None 4, 200 2 miles of wagon road 4,000 • 5 20 800 None 2,400 3 miles of wagon road 6,000 3 33J 1,200 None 2,400 1.62 miles of wagon road 3, 240 2 50 648 None 970 1 sawmill 3,000 5 10 300 $1, 500 2, 400 20 teams, at $650 13, 000 5 20 2,600 N one 7,800 Bunkhouse equipment 7, 000 5 20 1,400 None 4,200 Cookhouse equipment 3,000 5 20 600 None 1,800 Small tools 1 15, 000 1 100 3,000 None... . 3,000 1 warehouse and camp 2,500 5 20 500 None 1,500 Warehouse equipment 1,000 5 20 200 None 600 4 freight wagons 1,000 5 20 200 None 600 Blacksmith outfits 1,000 5 20 200 None 600 Blacksmith supplies 2 3, 000 3,000 3, 000 3 auto trucks 12, 000 5 20 2,400 7,200 2 small donkeys 6,000 5 10 600 3,000 4, 800 Lines, blocks, etc 4, 200 2 50 840 None 1,260 Do 4, 200 2 50 840 None 1,260 Do 4,200 1 50 420 2, 100 840 Cookhouse supplies 2 7, 500 7, 500 7, 500 Barn supplies— hay, oats, etc 2 3, 000 3, 000 3, 000 Working capital, excluding brush disposal and payments, rounded off to 3 100,000 100,000 100, 000 Total 312, 350 38, 450 120, 100 206, 230 1 There will be four replacements, one at the beginning of each year. If the formula were used for the small tools, it would show five purchases of $3,000 each, or a total initial investment of $15,000. For each pur- chase, however, the average annual depreciation and the average annual profit-bearing investment would be the $3,000. The results for the five investments would be the same as the results shown on one line. 2 Average on hand all the time. 3 The average time that the money is tied up in logs was determined as follow: The cut for each month on a similar chance in this region was known, and the average cut per month on this chance was assumed to be the same proportion of the annual cut. The monthly cut multiplied by the number of months from the time the logs are cut until they reach the mill shows the number of months that the money is invested in 1,000 feet of logs. The products were added, and the sum divided by the annual cut. This gave the weighted time that the working capital in the logging operation is invested in logs. The method is shown in the following table: Month when cut. Amount cut. Time till logs reach mill. Thou- sand fe gt months. May Mfeet. 500 1, 000 1.500 2, 000 2. 500 2,500 1,000 Months. 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6, 500 12, 000 16. 500 20, 000 22. 500 20, 000 7, 000 June July August September October November Total. 11,000 104, 500 =9.49 months, the average time that the money is tied up in the operating costs of logging. This was rounded off to 10 months in this appraisal. L APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. 71 The working capital was determined as follows : The operating cost of logging, exclud- ing brush disposal, is $11.27 per 1,000 feet. The annual cut is estimated to be 10,000,000 feet. The total expenditures for operating costs, not including brush disposal, is there- fore $112,700. The money is tied up 91 months, as is shown in the preceding table. This is rounded off to 10 months. The average investment in working capital for $112 700 10 operating costs of logging is — — j —$93,916. The cost of driving, sorting, and booming is estimated to be $2 per 1,000 feet, and the money is tied up about two months, making an average annual investment of about $3,300. A few logs will hang up on the drive and lie over until the next year. The total average investment in work- ing capital, excluding brush disposal and stumpage payments, is summarized as: follows : Operating costs $93,916 Driving- 3, 300 Logs left on drive till next year 3, 000 Total 100, 216 For logging, the margin for profit and risk and the depreciation are com- puted as follows: Investment in equipment, improvements, and working capital used in logging $206, 230. 00 Margin, at 20 per cent 41, 246. 00 Margin per M feet a cut of 10,000 M feet * $4. 12 Investment in stumpage payments and brush dis- posal 14 J. 40, 000. 00 Margin, at 10 per cent 4, 000. 00 Margin per M feet ; . 40 Depreciation 38, 450. 00 Depreciation per M feet 3. 85 The total charges against the logs, exclusive of stumpage, but including the profit margin computed by the investment method, is as follows: Current improvements, including chutes, skidways, and land- ings $1.27 Sawing 2. 00 Swamping, skidding, and landing * 4. 35 Chuting 1. 65 Fluming . 80 Brush disposal : . 80 Maintenance . 20 Administration 1. 00 Driving, sorting, and booming : 2. 00 Depreciation of investments 3. 85 Margin for profit and risk i 4. 52 Total cost, stump to mill, including margin 22. 44 « The lumber-manufacturing industry in this region produces a highly finished product with well-defined manufacturing processes and type of mills. Standard costs for manufacturing are therefore readily obtainable and satisfactory for use in making appraisals. The average manufacturing costs for the mills of 14 There is practically no risk involved in money tied up in stumpage. The brush dis- posal will be handled by the Forest Service under a cooperative brush-disposal fund, and this part of the investment is also subject to very little risk because the cost of brush disposal can not exceed the specified amount per thousand feet. For these reasons the money invested in stumpage payments and for brush disposal is believed to be entitled to only one-half as much margin as the rest of the working capital. Stumpage is placed at $4 per 1,000 feet, and brush disposal is estimated to cost 80 cents per thousand feet. Based on an annual cut of 10,000,000 feet, the average annual investment represented by brush disposal and stumpage payments is $40,000, using 10 months as the average time the money is tied up. 72 APPRAISING STUMPAGE ON NATIONAL FORESTS. the type, which should logically obtain the logs from this sale, based on the previous three years of operation, are $11.50 per thousand feet of lumber, in- cluding depreciation. This has been accepted as standard. The investments in manufacturing are heavy, and rates of margin for profit and risk of 25 per cent and 20 per cent under the overturn method are known to be equiva- lent to rates of about 15 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, under the in- vestment method. The number of turns per year average about three. Under these conditions a rate of profit-margin of 20 per cent on the overturn, using the standard costs, is considered equitable. The overrun, after deducting 5 per cent loss on the drive is 15 per cent. The total charge for manufacturing, including profit-margin, is therefore figured as follows : Manufacturing and depreciation $11. 50 15 per cent overrun 1. 73 13.23 Margin for profit and risk at 20 per cent . 2. 65 Total 15. 88 The average selling values during the past three years are: White pine. White fir. Selling value $39. 00 $30.0 4. 50 15 per cent overrun 5. 85 Selling value, log scale 44. 85 34.50 The first calculation of stumpage values is as follows : White pine. White fir. Selling value, log scale $44. 85 $22. 44 15. 88 38.32 $34. 50 $22. 44 15. 88 38. 32 Logging and margin Manufacturing and margin Total cost and margin. . Stumpage indicated 6. 53 -3.82 Placing the minimum stumpage value of 50 cents on white fir, the total deficit is $4.32 per thousand feet. The removal of white fir to the extent of 20 per cent of the total cut is required for silvicultural reasons. The amount to reduce the white pine price to carry the loss on the white fir is determined 0 20 X 3 82 thus : A OA‘ — =approximately $0.96 to reduce the white pine. The stumpage O.oU values then become : Per M fe-% White pine / $5.87 — 9.90— $4.91 White fir ,50 APPENDIX. FORM FOR SUMMARIZING THE ESSENTIAL DATA IN STUMPAGE APPRAISALS. The use of the following summary in outline form is desirable to present concisely the more essential features of the appraisal. This summary should be prefixed to all reports submitted to the Forester : 1. The sale area. (1) District, Forest, main watershed or other descriptive location, desig- nation of sale or chance. (2) Area covered by appraisal (acres). (3) Distance from chance to common carrier, or local market, by pro- proposed logging road, flume, drivable stream, etc. (method of transportation and miles). ( 4 ) The stand : a. Total estimated cut (thousand feet). &. Name and per cent of each species. c . Kind and per cent of each product to be cut (saw logs, ties, mine props, etc.). 2. Investments. (1) Name main units (railroad or flume with length, sawmill with ca- pacity, etc.). (2) Average fixed investment. (Profit-bearing.) (3) Annual depreciation. (4) Average working capital. (5) Total average investment in operation. 3. Cost of production (per thousand feet log scale, piece or other unit; sepa- rately by species or products as required). (1) Depreciation. (2) Logging. (3) Manufacture. (4) General expense. (5) Forest Service requirements. (6) Total. 4. Profit margin. (1) Estimate of risk (low, average, high). (2) Method used (investment, overturn, pay for personal services). . (3) Rate. (4) Profit in dollars and cents (per thousand feet log scale or other unit of output). 5. Selling price (per thousand feet log scale, piece, or other unit; separately by species and products as required). 6. Recommended stumpage price (per thousand feet, log scale, piece, or other unit; separately by species and products as required). 7. Important contract terms. (1) Cutting period. (2) Construction period. (3) Other terms which materially influence the appraisal. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 10 CENTS PER COPY V 73