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."