The Oregon daily journal., September 08, 1907, Page 94, Image 94

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CA30: -COCKS. OAE.
II E forests nf Orc(jyn consti
tute the sreatft natural re
source of the state. There is
pf nxiii(f y 300 billion fret
of standing merchantable tim
ber according to the average of the
estimates made by different timber
men and experts, who have made the
matter a thorough study. In com
parison with other states, and with
the United States as a whole, this
statement is of interest. Oregon
The most densely timbered area in
the state is west of the Cascade
range. This is due to humid condi
tion, favutable to rapid and nbtin
daut development of plant life. Thus
we find that HO per cent of the total
standing of timber is found on an
am ol which is M) per cVnt of the
total area of the state. The average
standing of timber on the area west
of the Cascade range i 17,700 feet
R. M per acre. Locations where the
possesses a greater amount of stand- standing is 50,000 feet per acre are
ing timber than any other state in common, as in portions of Clatsop,
the union, and . ne-fifth of the total i illamook. Polk ami other coast
amount of merchantable timber of counties,
the United States. For comparison The Douglas Fir.
the following figures are of interest: Briefly considering the principal
Total standing timber in United trees of Oregon we find that there
States, 1,380 billion feet. are an,,llt 95 spfrir,, All are useful
Total standing timber Pacific coast, for some general or special purpose.
300
25 billion feet.
Total standing timber Oregon,
billion feet.
The value of this immense body of
timber is two fold: First, as a source
of lumber supply; second, as a factor
in the maintenance of a perpetual
flow of water in the streams and
rivers of the state, by retarding the
melting of the snow and holding the
continuance supply of moisture in
the ground during the summer
months. Other minor uses of for
ests are as a source of fuel supply
a ! a source of ornamental trees
and shrubs, and in the production of
medicinal and edible products useful
to mankind.
An Important Industry.
Douglas fir, the most valuable tree
of the Pacific coast and one of the
world's greatest trees, is the domi
nant species. It furnishes 80 per
cent of the merchantable timber wet
of the Cascades and (6 per cent of
the total timber of the state. Locali
ties have been found where upwards
of 250,000 feet II. M. of standing
timber of this tree have been found
and it is safe to say that there is no
region in the world where any tree
grows, that will furnish a larger crop
per acre than the Douglas fir.
The Oregon Pine.
The next class of timber in point
of importance in Oregon is the pines.
There are 14 species of pines in the
state of Oregon. The largest of these
Commercially the manufact tti e of lne sugar pine. This tree glows to
lumber in Oregon constitutes one of be 100 to 300 feet high and 12 to 20
the most important industries of the feet in diameter. It is especially
state and would be extremely profit- abundant in the southern part of the
able if adequate shipping facilities state, and is used for the manufacture
were at hand to transport the manu- or lumber, interior finish, ah, doors,
horseback bound
famine in the United States. Vet we and
are told that unless the timber is mountains to take up a timber claim,
conserved" we will before many years And often two or three ladies are in
be facing the same problem that the the party. It takes a good supply of
states of Maine, Wisconsin, Michi- nerve and physical energy, as when
gan and Minnesota are today. they get into the mountains they
And to avoid too rapid use of the leave their horses and walk. No con
timber the United States government dition of the weather deters them in
is taking in large tracts of timber their (juest.
into reserves and appoints and pays Tl(. locators are getting all the
a salary to men called forest rangers way from $50 ,,, $250 for locating
to protect it from fire during the dry parties on claims. And the timber
season ot the year.
the out the manufactured product as
as the lumber.
There has just recently been a
large tract of timber land in the Cas
cade mountains set aside for a forest
reserve. It has caused great disap
pointment to numbers of people who
had expected to get timber claims
there when it would be surveyed. It
is extra choice timber land, many of
the trees having $50 to $100 worth
of lumber to the tree.
Large lumber syndicates and com
panies from the states of Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota and other east
ern states are buying large holdings
in the west. To get a large tract of
several hundred or thousand acres of
the timber land they have to buy it
from the individual owners of the
OREGON'S LUMBER OUTP
The director of the census
nounces the following prelimii
report on the production of lum
lath and shingles in Oregon for
calendar year ending December
1906. Statistics concerning the
unction of lumber and timber
ducts have heretofore been colleii
cruiser gets $5.00 a day for estimat- in connection with the decennial
ing the amount of timber on land and quinquennial census of manufactu:
claims for intending purchasers, who To satisfy the uigent demand
buy out the claim holders and any
other timber land that is for sale.
The locators and cruisers are men
familiar with the topography of the
country. Many are men that were
raised in the foothills and spent a
great deal of their time in the moun
tains hunting for game.- They are
getting money now for their knowl
edge of the mountains and there is
no danger of any one getting lost
who goes into the mountains with
them.
How to Secure Timber Lands.
If one has the time and a fair
claims, as it cannot be bought from amount of understanding of records
county
SGXZE'rifVte 2.-4-
04 000 000 FEET OS"
oars, etc. Another important pine is
the one which grows 111 eastern Ore
gon, anil although called by a num
ber of different names, is commonly
known as western yellow' pine. This
tree furnishes about 19 per cent of
the timber of the state, and is manu
factured into lumber and is shipped
east to compete with the rapidly dis-
factured products to the market. A
glance at the number of sawmills in
the state shows a total of over 500.
Besides there are many wood con
suming mills manufacturing shingles,
sash, doors, boxes, veneering, furni
ture, broom handles, matches, and
many other necessary articles.
Considering the fact that a large
part of the forest resources of the appearing eastern white pine
United States are located on the Pa
c.fic coast and principally in Oregon,
it seems worth while to briefly con
sider how we can treat this supply
wisely, so as to preserve our forests.
President Roosevelt, in his first
message to congress, said, "Forestry
is the preservation of forests by wise
use. I he key note of preserving this grows upwards of 20 feet in diameter,
great resource to our mind is in the There is on record in Clatsop county
one word use. Timber should be one tree which was 30 feet in diame
treated a- a crop. The farmer is con- ter. This tree species forms a belt
cerned in the use of the soil for crop along the sea coast of from 30 to 0
production, especially food crops, and miles wide. It furnishes another 5
the lumberman is likewise engage in per cent of the state's available sup
the production ,f wood crops. If ply of timber.
then, the forest of the state are Other important trees
worth treating as a crop, we must tured into lumber are the Pacific red
take measures to protect such a crop cedar, which is today the principal
against destruction. The greatest shingle material of the world, and the
There are many other extremely
interesting facts about the forests of
Oregon which cannot be elucidatet
in a short contribution like this one.
The western hemlock is a valuable but considering the forest wealth of
but little appreciated western tree. It Oregon as an entirety we must come
furnishes one of the most beautiful 10 hc conclusion that nature has
finishing woods in existence, and endowed the state most wonderfully
forms 5 per cent of Oregon's timber. ' t,lis respect. The total value of
The Tideland Spruce. "rego timber as a crop in the fu-
The largest tree in Oregon is the ,,,r' ,s l"''nn1 fKnver of ''e hu-
giant tideland spruce. This tree ,vn ' "'" and points
oiiiy 10 ine one conclusion, uuu vie
g"n's matchless forests are to be a
great source of wealth in the future.
,VV T! AVtS fc'tV sill the government direct. and plats he can go to the
Tp 1 1
TTZLCZAirr .. 1 , ' 1111
11 f I I I 1 ' I w , , 111
111":.' V?."-T B T V '
. A: life 1 . .1111
1 in 1 4tf v ;,Ils31I f I llll
Hill ' "'- - friS ' 11
VJfe " '
more frequent information relatl
to these important products, the
est service of the department of a
culture collected statistics pertaii
to the production in 1905, and
purposes of comparison these to
are presented below. In order
avoid duplication of work, howe
and insure uniformity of restilts
preparation of the annual statis
has been committed to the bureat
census, which has worked in coop
tion with the forest service.
The figures cover the cut of
mills in 1906 and 319 mills in 1905
Lumber Thousand Feet B. M.
1906. 190.
Douglas fir (1). ..1.347,4(7 1,076,
Western pine (2). 131,460
Spruce 78.652
Cedar 20.481
Hemlock .
Larch
Sugar pine
White fir .
All other .
0.847
3.766
3.409
2,841
6,971
84,
57,
25,
3,
3,
3,
1,
6,
Total 1.604,894
Lath Thousands.
1906.
Douglas fir (1)...
Western pine (2).
Spruce
Cedar
All other
Total
143.895
8.943
2.729
1,406
1,262,
i
1903
80,
30,"
156.973 116,
Shingles Thousand.
1906. 190S
Western pine (2). 2.743
Cedar 95.291 135,:
Sugar pine 200
All other 4,!
TIMBER
WESTERN
LANDS IN
OREGON.
The old resident of western Ore- wood sold for $3.00 a cord.
gon has experienced quite a change were no lumber mills to cut
manufac- of feeling in regard to the timber lumber.
question in the past few years. And But this state of affairs
r.oc vV 7rn2.Fnj?nrsJvr or
77&S Pcrcfze: 7S SO3 xrr-TJnMG.
Total 98,234 139,
(1) Includes yellow fir, red
Douglas spruce, red spruce and O
gon pine.
(2) Includes California white p
and western yellow pine.
There
it into
Every American citizen has a right court house or the United States
to take up one timber claim. The land office and find out what lands
citizen gets the claim by going on are vacant and go to them without
has the land with witnesses and then fil- the necessity of employing a locator.
it is surprising to see the change changed. I he towns that paid $-.00 ing at the United States land otfice A man paid a locator $100 for locat
th.it has taken hold of the people in a cord for fir wood now oav $5.00 and his or her sworn statement for the incr him on a rlaim that aHininrH a
LUMBER OUTPUT. Jl
The state of Oregon haippro 1
match- 300,000,000,000 feet of standi
timber. This is a much grea
amount than is possessed by a
other state in the union, and is nea'
one sixth of the total amount
standing merchantable timber in t
United States. Commercially, t
value of the state's timber when ma
danger which menaces the forest is Port Orford cedar, which grows only the desire to possess some of the $6.00 a cord, and it is none too plcnti- purchase of the land, and will offer tract of land his father had owned "factured into lumber and sold at t
tire, and due precaution should be
and is taken both by the state and
national government against the de
struction of Oregon forests by fire.
Valuable Legislation.
Th fore't fin law, passed by the
recent session of the Oregon legisla
ture, is the most valuable bit of legis
lation in some respects which has
ever been given us to protect the for
est resources of the state. It sefms
rather hard on the logger to compel
him to burn his tops eai-, vrar lin(,.r
due precaution, but n this is done, it
will benefit the logger as well as
save the timber and perhaps the
home of his neighbor. It is riKln and
just also to give every farmer who
desires to burn up his slashings, pro
vided that the fire docs not get away
and destroy the property of his
timber land. Almost every citizen ful at that price, on account of the proof to show that the land soucht for vears Tf hp had looker! at thP rate of $12 oer 1.000 feet would
who has the capital to invest has scarcity of woodmen to cut it into is more valuahle for its timber OT rrrnrrlc nnrl nla t a Tin wnnM not Inv'f $3,600,000,000. a sum in excess of t
needed the assistance of a locator. totaj amount of money in currency
neighbor. Considered from every maple, madrone, alder and myrtle,
point of view, this matter of f.,rest The Oregon myrtle is by far the
preservation is one of the mo.-t mi- mo-t valuable of the hard wood of
portant public questions in the state the state. It is an evergreen tree
. today, and the intending home seeker from 60 to 100 feet high and from 2
is fprtunate indeed in having just to b feet in diameter. It is a rich
-and equitable protection against the olive brown,, close grained hard
destruction of his home and property wood. It ,t used for ship building,
when he considers location in as fa- cabirtet work and furniture. It grows
: vorable a region as the great state from the Cmpqua south to the Cali-
, cf Oregon iornia state line.
.... ;:
m Loos ana eurry counties, and
which is very important for ship
building, clothes chests, matches, etc., cither taken up a government timber cord wood. Oak timber is now $6.00 stone than for agricultural purposes
the western tamarack or larch of claim or has bought some of the rail- a cord delivered to the hardwood and to establish his claim to the land
eastern Oregon, which is used largely road land with timber on it. mills to be sawed into oak flooring, before the county clerk and county
for railroad ties and lumber, the noble When the old resident decides that handles and such articles as are made court of the county in which the land
fir, or as it is sometimes called the he will take up a timber claim, too, of hard wood. is located on a certain day advertised
larch of "Larch mountain," and the he may find on investigation that all For years in the west it has seemed in the official newspaper of that
cottonwood, which is largely manu- of the timber claims in his vicinity to the ordinary resi'dent that of all county. As soon a9 the citizen has
factured into paper, veneer, staves, are already taken up. If he had been worthless things to be possessed of established his claim, paid for the
barrels, trunks, and various other upon the alert he might have had a would be a tract of land with noth- land and receives the patent from the
forms of wooden ware. It is a note- choice timber claim in his own ing but timber on it. One could not United States government he is free
worthy fact that Oregon has a small county and thereby saved expense. market the timber. If it was heavily to sell his claim if he desires to. And
amount of Redwood, the same tree One will be apt to ask why he did timbered it was no use for pasture, can probably sell it for from $1,000
which has made California farnous. not secure a claim years ago when Consequently there was no income to $3,000, according to the amount of
This is confined exclusively to Curry he lives in a country where there are from it and there were the taxes to timber there is on the claim which
county, where there are about 400 thousands of acres of timber land. pay. This is the reason why the vast leaves quite a margin of profit for
acres of this timber. If he is a resident of the foothills he tracts of government timber lands the citizen.
Oregon's Hard Woodc. y'.'u f r 'cars ne has and some of the railroad lands have
. . , , been fighting the timber. It has lain undisturbed for so many years.
Oregon also has a number of valu- ,)een RrovvmR p anrf encroaching There is a market now for the timber
able hard woods, such as oak, ash. .., v,: t, . , , .. , ,.
"Fu" f'""t. men ne nas ocen so it toilows mat timner tana is in
. . . , the United States at the present d
Formerly it was only saw timber, t, t j i i j
, . J, . . I lie most densely timbered area
l ill is, llinuci I cau v iu Liu miu IUIII- .1. . . . e . , r J
. . , the state is west of the Cascade rand
iLI ai Hill.., inui n.i injcil rt .
,. r. , ine
sougnt. nut now me peopie
slashing it down and burning it up
And then he was obliged to get An
gora goats to keep it from coming up
again. There was profit in the goats,
but no profit in the timber.
Timber Growing Valuable.
Wood cut and delivered at the
railroad track 1 rought as little as
Good Claims Growing Scarce.
When a citizen buys a claim he
wants the very best one he can get.
So there is need to be in a hurry to
be first to get a choice claim. As
many of the claims are in almost in
accessible places back in the" hills
now me people are
taking up timber claims, and the pur
chaser is buying what is called sec
ond growth fir timber. That is tim
ber suitable for telephone poles, rail
road ties and piling. It commands
as good a price as the saw timber.
A claim of 160 acres that will cruise
3,000,000 feet either of saw timber or
second growth timber will sell for
$3,000. So it will be seen that it takes
a syndicate or company well pro
vided with capital to buy up a large
body of timber land. The individual
owners of claims in a locality gener
ally all sell to the same company.
average stand of timber on tl
area is 17,700 feet, although loc
ities are common containing 50,0
feet, as in portions of Clatsop, T
lamook, Polk and other coast cou
ties. The lumber industry at i
present time is one of Oregon's chi
sources of revenue. The total outp
in sawed lumber last year was abo
two billion feet with an aggrega
value of $30,000,000. Besides this tt
state had an output of forest product
in the form of logs, poles, hardwonj
cordwood, etc., valued at $12,000,0o
paper and wood pulp, $2,000,00)
trunk materials, $50,000; boxes, $25(1
000: shingles. $300,000. and casca
The timber of Oregon is one of the bark, $100,000. The sawmV emplcj
I i c rum .
demand, and very much in demand.
kt i r f : t: i
1 1 y -i me .or in diuiu.il in- siaic j inusi vdiudmc ascis. ine I5(R)U men at an average wise II
As one goes up and down the Pa- accessible places back in the" hills marketing of the lumber will be the $275 per day In addition therM'
cific coast and sees the limitless
... rn j . r . w....g...s -'.. . ie empuyea approximately .uqu men
panse of he bins and mountains of task to get to them. It is no unusual more railroads and more people and the logging camps of the state
the coast range and Cascade moun- sight to the people who reside in the will aid greatly Jn the development 1
tains covered with evergreen timber, foothills of western Oregon near the of the state. "There is abundant With th. vrntion of T.o A.i
- i i.-i. j i ....... . ... - e - '"B-'
pine, nciiuocK ana ccaar, it small railroad stations to see parties water power and the dav is not far Portland ie h larcr.-ct .-it i ,
lir, pine, hemlock and cedar, it
a cord tor t,r w ood and sold in seems almost impossible t, . believe of from four to eight persons pass- distant when it will be second to none the Pacific coast, covering 44 sc.ua
the towns as low as ,2.00 a cord. Oak that there would ever be a timber ing along the roads in livery hacks as a manufacturing state, and send miles.
(