Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Klamath tribune. (Chiloquin, Or.) 1956-1961 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1959)
June, 1959 KLAMATH TRIBUNE Page 3 FORESTRY (Continued From Page 1) Mezger relates that cuttincr on the area making up the manage ment unit dates back to 1916 with some timber having been removed almost every year since then. As a result of this long cutting his tory, the forest lands retained are, for the most part, areas that have alreadv been cut through for the first time. Only 8 of the 134,000 acres of timber land is uncut virgin timber, Mezger advises. Much of this virgin stand is in cluded in the area covered by the contract with the Simplot-Devoe "umber Co. of Chiloquin (ccon 7inic unit no. 30). (This contract, to run 5 years, is nearing the start of its 2nd year. 13 million board feet out of a total of 94 mjllion covered by the contract have al ready been processed.) The cut - over - virgin timber ratio is of great significance at this time to the trust staff in formulating a program of timber management. Br.adshaw com ments that his foresters' job pres ently is two-fold: first ,thcy yiust administer the Simplot-Devoe. contract, calling for the removal of 20 to 25 million board feet of timber per year over the next 4 years, and second, they must de velop a forestry program for a long-range period after that time when the forest resource will be entirely residual or cut-over. Hradshaw explains that an im portant purpose of the Simplot Devoe contract was to "make available a static income during this transitory period to give the foresters time to bring the statis tics up to date". "The job of tire forestry staff - during this period," Hradshaw continues, "will be to determine where the next cuttings will take place, the volumes that will be produced etc. Considerable study will be required as to how much the different areas can produce. Growth factors will enter the picture." ifegulating the overall manage- icnt of the forest area is the fact , riat the trustee, under the trust agreement, is committed to a sus tained yield program with an nual cut roughly equalling .in growth. Consistent with such a program the highest possible an nual income for the remaining members will be sought. Afford ing protection to income is the fact that the trustee can depart from the allowable annual cut under sustained yield procedures to offset extraordinary loss or unfavorable market conditions. It is the growth qualities of the forest area that point up the long range favorable outlook. Once the virgin timber is used up an appreciable drop in, annual allow able cut might be expected. How ever, new variables are being taken into consideration. Loss may be reduced ami a faster growth rate may be realized. As a result, it is believed that any cutting reductions made, once the area becomes entirely cut-over, will be minimal. Mezger observes that under HI A supervision, the timber was cut in such a way that substantial volumes of timber were left "timber . that would survive and grow fairly well". "The forest now contains a volume of timber about one-half that which was present before any cutting took place. This vol ume of timber, however, is grow ing at a much faster rate than the original volume and it is felt that the management unit can produce a minimum of 18 or 19 million board feet each year for as long as a policy of sustained yield management is followed. "It is the hope of the trustee with its present staff to gradually intensify forestry practices in such a way that productivity and net income will be increased. Plans will be developed taking into account such things as salv age, utilization of minor species and products, concentration of timber volumes in better and faster growing trees, restocking of open areas of potential timber land either naturally or artificially with trees, reducing competition between trees to stimulate growth and shorten the time necessary to produce a market able tree. These and similar tasks will be conducted in conjunction with the major responsibility of timber sale administration and range administration which will assure the most efficient use and ' conversion of salable resources and provide maximum returns to the noil withdrawing members." An important phase of the timber management program is forest protection. Mezger clarifies fire protection responsibilities on the management unit as follows: "Fire protection for the Tribal Management Unit, as is true of all forest lands in Oregon, is basically the responsibility of the landowner. He must either pro vide adequate protection by him self or in association with other landowners or it becomes the duty of the State Forester to pro vide such protection at cost as provided by law. Until the status of surrounding land is finally de termined by the Klamath Sales Program, actual protection is now being furnished by agree ment with the State Forester and the Klamath Agency fire organ ization under the able direction of Vic Sisson." Control of other hazards will GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING (Continued From Page 1) mis resolution protested me method "of arranging for and the results achieved by' the appraisal review," and further, opposed "the transfer of any of the tribal property to the government or to anyone else without first reserv ing to the tribe all fishing, hunt ing, mineral and water rights or in the alternative, securing ade quate compensation for this prop erty which should first be agreed to by the tribe." The council further resolved that it "firmly stands on the original appraisal' as the basis of the election." As a matter of information Dib bon Cook read a resolution which was previously passed by the Fx. Committee concerning per capita payments to the remaining piein bers. It was recommended by the Fx. Committee that per capitas be distributed in the following order: March 1. 1959, $600.(X); fuue 15. 1959 $I(X).(X); Sept. 15, 1959, $4(X).(X); and December 15, 1959, $ I(X).(X). A resolution requesting the Sec. to grant a "blanket approval" for withdrawing members to ob tain loans up to $K),(X)0.00 was passed 58-0. This resolution if approved by the Sec. would per mit "withdrawn" members of the Klamath Tribe "to pledge up to $10,000.00 of their pro rata share or shares of tribal assets to any individual, bank or other1- loaning institutions as security for loans not to exceed $10,000.00 leaving the decision as to the amount or amounts of said loans as well as the date or dates thereof com pletely up to the individual mem ber and not subject to any ap proval or scrutiny of any Govern mental Agency, Hureau or in dividual whatsoever." A similar resolution was passed on Aug. 26. 1958, by the Fx. Committee which if it had been approved by the Secretary would have author ized banks but not "individuals" or "other loaning institutions" to also be given full attention, Mezger announces. "Insect, disease and animal damage are less spectacular than fire damage, but nevertheless take a considerable toll in the forest. In fact, on a nationwide basis, these forest enemies silent ly destroy about 10 times as much limber as does fire although cer tainly fire still ranks as being potentially the most dangerous. Fvery reasonable effort will be made by the trustee to hold all losses to a minimum ami salvage such losses as do occur whenever possible." (Xext month farming and grazing lands management, hunt ing and fishing, and miscellaneous matters.) ;ive loans up to $10,(X).(XX). Another resolution had to do with the matter of taxation. The council by a vote of ('. I went on record as "protesting the levying of taxes until the time provided for by law, and requested the Sec. of Interior "to institute the necessary action to prevent this or any further taxation." In its resolution the council expressed the "understanding and belief of the members of the tribe that their property is not taxable under the termination act and other proceeding legislation until they have received the money value of their interest in tribal property and cease to become members of the tribe or until the proclamation provided for by the act has been made by the Sec retary." Acting chairman Delford Lang ruled out of order a resolution in troduced by Patrick Shelp which would have changed the way in which the General Council is con ducted. This resolution which would have required the mailing out of ballots concerning issues and resolutions of the Gen. Coun cil to all members of the tribe not present (luring the presentation of the resolution and issues during the Gen. Council was referred to the Solicitor for his opinion. Ac cording to the resolution the votes mailed in by the tribal mem bers would be considered as if "the member were present at the Gen. Council, a limit of I I days after the ballots are mailed out being considered the day the bal lots will be considered; the last day that the ballots may be counted." In another resolution intro duced by Shelp, criticism was ex pressed over the lack of informa tion concerning tribal activities, "such as the actions of the Tribal representatives to the State and Federal legislatures and the Klamath Tribal Fx. Committee." 'Hie Council passing this resolu tion by a vote of M- expressed the feeling that the tribe "should have some guarantee that their opinion and decisions are in fact the opinions and decisions being presented to the State and Fed eral legislature by their official tribal representatives." The Coun cil by passing this resolution is requiring all tribal delegates to the State and Federal legislature "to sign a statement of intent and purpose regarding all orders of business and activities for which they are representing the tribe and the stand they intend to take on these issues, and furthermore they, the tribal representatives, will transact no other business than so stated either personal or for the tribe."