Kinzua looks to future
Long-range forestry program announced
By ERNIE CERESA
A long-range program for
utilizing area forests and
reforestation to insure timber
"in perpetuity" was outlined
Monday night by Allen Nistad,
general manager, Kinzua
Corporation.
Speaking to 50 citizens at
Heppner High School Cafe
torium, Nistad said that the
program of farm forestry
fulfills his lifelong dream and
that of many employees of
Kinzua Corporation.
More than a million acres of
logged-over land in this area is
badly in need of thinning, he
said. Much of the forested
land, according to Oregon
State forestry studies, contain
2,600 to 26,000 too many stems
(of timber) per acre, whereas
the ideal stand for timber is
the spacing of 100 to 200 trees
per acre. The spacing would
result in the annual growth
rate of 300 to 700 board feet
per acre, whereas the stag
nated stands with 2.600 trees
per acre are now producing
only 100 board feet per acre.
With the new facilities
(plywood plant) opening in
May the company can handle
small logs up to four inches in
diameter, and can merchan
dize the whole tree.
His plan for full utilization of
trees involves snipping trees
at ground level, taking the
entire tree to a landing where
limbs are removed. Bui Kin
zua is more interested in trees
up to nine inches in diameter,
which will be removed in their
entirely, to be replaced with
seedlings, the brush cleared
Kinzua expansion
Planners rezone
A variance allowing Kinzua
Corporation to rezone a 59
acre area from farm use to
industrial use was approved
'Monday night by the Morrow
County Planning Commission.
The request for the variance
was submitted by attorney
Robert Abranrs. who told of
the planned developments yet
to come at the Heppner mill
site
The area in question rests
south and west of the present
mill and will be used for
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and a grass seeding program
instituted to add grazing
capacity to the opened up
areas.
Experts are working on the
design of a new mechanical
de-limber and chipper. In
stead of having to saw off the
limbs, trees will be pulled
through this machine to chip
the wood into mulch. The
mulch will be hauled to Kinzua
mills for fuel or stockpiled for
the use of ranchers In their
feed lots.
Nistad said ranchers have,
in the past, refused to sell
Kinzua their timber. "Now,"
he said, "some of that timber
is rotting away, and it is a
disgrace. We are prepared to
go knocking on farmers' doors
in this area to offer to bring
out their trees."
He described a scaling
device that can determine the
wood fiber content of a tree,
and the farmer would be paid
for the trees by weight-just as
he is paid for hay or grain.
The firm has a thinning
contractor whose job is to
follow up on commercial
logging and remove material
under nine inches in diameter
for processing.
Most trees in this area have
been planted by squirrels, he
said, and the trees are
growing in clusters. Four to
five trees in any cluster may
have to be removed.
The program includes the
cleaning up of brush by piling,
scattering and mulching:
putting in water bars and dips
in roads and trails to reduce
erosion: and the closure of as
many roads as possible.
expansion of the present log
dumping and trash removal
areas. The present area for
trash burning is across the
highway from the mill and has
caused problems in hauling
the waste wood and trash
across the highway.
"" Abrams said Kinzua hopes
to clean up the present trash
burning area and eventually
landscape it. Plans are being
made for the company to
fence in the area, allowing
only one highway crossing
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Once these practices have
been completed, the Nistad
plans calls for aerial seeding
of grass over the cleaned area
to provide feed for wildlife,
and for the hand-planting of
two-year-old seedlings In
open areas. Up to 60,000
pounds of grass seed and
30,000 seedlings are to be
added each year. The seed
lings are to be from superior
trees, many of which are
grown on Kinzua's farms.
Nistad's program is ap
proved by local governmental
agencies, he pointed out. This
year, 25,000 acres of Kinzua
tree farms are in soil conser
vation programs, watershed
improvement programs and
demonstration areas.
"The Oregon State Game
Commission will be consulted
on our logging operations in
this area," he said. "If they
have any recommendations to
make we want to know about
them. It will also furnish
browse seed for game in our
grass reseeding programs."
Dennis Martin, timber
management assistant, U.S.
Forestry Service, Heppner
district, told the group, "The
Forest Service is not a
subsidiary of Kinzua Corpora
tion, contrary to many ru
mors." He outlined the basis
for timber sales.
"As a public agency," he
said, "we have no choice but
to follow the acts passed by
congress, some of tnem en
acted many years ago. Our
basic authority for selling
timber comes from the Or
ganic Administrative Act of
59 acres
area which would be at the
intersection where the flash
ing crosslight is now.
Besides burning and storing
waste lumber at the newly
rezoned area the company
plans on extending its log
dumping facilities back far
ther from the road so trucks
will not have to maneuver
across the road as they now
do. "We hope to get the log
truck traffic off the highway
and on to our land," said
Abrams.
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The old Lonerock M.E. Church, built in 1898 at the neir-ghost
town of Lonerock, basks in Sunday afternoon's sun. To the
left, but not visible, is a hugh, rock from which the town
probably got its name. It has a fine bell housed in an
attractive belfry. The sign on the fence at lower left reads
"No Hunting."
1897, and some of the injunc
tions secured by the Sierra
Gub are based on this act."
He referred to the Sustained
Yield Act of 1944 which gave
the Secretary of Agriculture
tauthority to set up sustained
yield units allowing mills to
come in and develop a
community.
Martin described the term
"allowable cut" as used by the
Forestry Service as being the
amount of timber that can be
cut on the continual basis for
infinity and still not run out of
timber.
The present allowable is 21
million feet per year, which is
about the present growth per
acre.
"This cut is of concern to
many people who believe we
are over-cutting our timber
supply. Our present growth is
150 board feet per acre, which
multiplied by our commercial
forest acres (just under 30,000
acres) comes out to our allow
able cut. We thin between
1,000 and 2,000 acres per year,
so we are just cutting our
growth," Martin explained.
Dr. Brian Cleary, specialist
in reforestation, OSU spoke on
the importance of reforesta
tion, marketing and engineer
ing. "What we are talking about
is the further intensification of
management of the forest to
double the growth of these
young trees, letting them stay
where they grow the fastest by
using new techniques," he
said.
Dr. Larry Streeby, forest
economist, OSU. explained the
impact of new wood process-
Although the company plans
expansion of its facilities, it
does not plan to build any new
structures on the land.
Abrams noted the company
might attempt to re-route
Willow Creek behind the mill
away from the proposed log
dump and trash areas. It war
noted that this would be done
to prevent any possibility of
polluting the creek from the
waste lumber area. However,
in order for Kinzua to attempt
(Continued on page 2)
ing plants, with their in
creased employment, in the
community.
More money earned within
the area means more money
to be spent in the community.
Increased employment means
heavier demands on the pres
ent community services
schools and housing. Many of
the new jobs will be filled by
people already living in the
community, but some will
come from the outside and
their demands will have to be
met.
After the panelists had
finished they answered ques
tions from the audience, with
Harold Kerr, Morrow County
agricultural extension agent
acting as moderator.
"Does Kinzua have any
long-range plans for the fu
ture, or only for the next 10
years?"
Nistad: "Although the plant
has expanded there is still
much to be done in the way of
remodeling the present site.
Kinzua has been incorporated
since 1909 and has continued to
expand its mills. It has
recently purchased additional
lands and traded with Na
tional Forests for the use of
timber . . . Rotted trees not
usable for plywood will be
turned into mulch . . .
Eventually all logs will be
stored on the west side of the
highway with offices on the
east side. Kinzua has applied
for a permit to relocate Willow
Creek, as we do not use any
water from the creek nor do
we deposit anything in the
creek; the relocation would
give us more land for our
THE
GAZETTE-TIMES
Vol. 91, No. 6
Tuesday's election results
Record school budget
gets 2-1 approval
Morrow County voters ap
proved a record county school
budget of $1,071,178, the a
mount outside the basic school
support of 6 per cent, by a vote
of 409 to 191, a 2 to 1 margin.
A total of 600. ballots was
cast, with the only close
contest in the lone district,
where voters approved the
budget by 57-53.
The voting: Yes No
Lexington 37 24
Irrigon 61 27
lone 57 53
Boardman 93 17
Heppner 161 70
Tavern
robbed
at lone
The Office, lone tavern, was
robbed of an estimated $1,000
sometime between 1 a.m. and
noon Sunday.
Bob Oswalt, owner of the
tavern, gave the following
account of the robbery :
"We had gone to the dance
at the American Legion Hall
in lone, leaving another per
son in charge of the tavern.
We had posted a notice on the
front door that we would not
be open until noon Sunday. As
I entered the front door at
noon Sunday I noticed the
back door was not bolted from
the inside. A strong box and
two money bags were missing.
I notified the sheriff and the
Stale Police at Arlington.
"There was no forced entry
into the building and nothing
else was taken, only the
money. The thieves didn't
even take a bottle of wine or
have a beer."
"Until further investiga
tion," Oswalt said, "we can
only surmise that either
someone hid inside the build
ing or someone forgot to lock
the back door."
use."
Glen Ward: "What was total
production at the mill for last
year?"
Nistad : "Last year we cut 58
million board feet . . . we plan
to use the mill at Heppner
solely for young growth tim
ber and trees that have been
left in the woods to rot."
Nistad said Kinzua has
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Heppner, Ore., Thursday, March 28, 1974
The votes will be canvassed
by the Morrow County School
District School Board at its
next regular meeting at Lex
ington, April 15.
Passage of the budget
means that the 1974-75 fiscal
year school lax will be 15.1 per
cent higher than last year, or
$2.01 per $1,000 property
valuation. The normal rate of
budget increase has been from
4 to 6 per cent per year.
The unprecedented increase
was caused by rising costs of
retirement; social security
and workmen's compensation
taxes: increased teacher sal
aries, increase in the cost of
gasoline, heating oil, electri
city and supplies; increase in
county student enrollment;
and addition of kindergarten
programs and unemployment
insurance.
BMCC Board of Education
Dorothy Krebs
is a candidate
Mrs. Henry (Dorothy)
Krebs, 48, lone, is a candidate
for Position 2 on the Blue
Mountain Community College
Board of Education at the May
6 election.
A county resident for 25
years, she has lived in lone
since 1968. She has been
married to Henry Krebs,
rancher, for 25 years. The
couple have four children,
Jane Brinkman, 20, Harve,
Mont.; Clinton, 19. OSU major
in agricultural economics;
Skye, 16, lone High School
sophomore; and Glen, 12, in
the 6th grade at lone.
Mrs. Krebs has a master of
science degree in chemistry at
Oregon State University, 1949.
plans for the development of a
county park In Wheeler Coun
ty which may result in the
closing of land presently used
by hunters. He said he had
nothing against hunters, but
favored them walking through
the forests instead of riding.
He favors area closures for
the protection of game and
wildlife.
i
Harold Kerr and Allen Nistad, smile approval at the
audience at Monday night's Timber Impact meeting.
The box of cat food contains small pine trees raised on
Kinzua farms and given to the audience.
In the election for school
board director, Jerry Peck of
Boardman, running county
wide for the seven-member
board, was unopposed and
received 536 votes.
In the election for advisory
boards in the three districts
the voting was as follows:
Heppner-Lexington area
Betty Rood, 258; Ken Bel
cher, 251; Betty Marquardt,
246. These are three-year
terms to a seven-member
board, and three are incum
bents. However, Belcher was
appointed to fill a vacancy,
and this is his first elective
term.
lone area-Gene Rietmann
(incumbent), 95; Jerry Mc
Elligott, 61; Lorene Griffith,
155. There are five members
on this board.
Boardman-Irrigon areas
She is a member of Pi Mu
Epsilon, honor society,
mathematics; Sigma Xi,
honorary research society ;
and Phi Kappa Phi. She was
on the OSU staff for three
years as research assistant in
animal nutrition and bio
chemistry. Past activities include:
president, Arlington Kinder
garten Association, one year;
president, lone Parent Teach
er Association, one year;
president, Midland Council of
Parent Teacher Associations,
two years; board of man
agers, Oregon Congress of
Parents and Teachers, two
years; lone Schools Advisory
Committee, six years, two
Concluding the panel meet
ing, Nistad admitted that "we
are having a problem making
our workers a part of this
community. People keep re
ferring to us as 'the mill,' 'the
mill.' Many of your sons,
fathers and brothers work at
the mill. After all, they are
part of this community, and
should be treated as people."
15c
icombined)-Three candi
dates for one position. Zoe
Billings. 84; Barbara Hug, 63;
Elaine Nelson, 41. Two candi
dates for one position. Robert
Byrd, 157; William Kogan. 29.
Car stolen off
Main Street
A 1973 Maverick belonging
to Alia Cutsforth, 320 S. Court
St.. Heppner, was stolen from
the Elks Club Tuesday night.
The vehicle, a gold colored,
four-door sedan, had been
parked there earlier by Mrs.
Cutsforth, who failed to re
move the keys from the
ignition.
As she left to go home,
between 11:30 and midnight,
she noticed another car
parked in its place.
years as chairman; Sunday
School teacher, lone United
Church of Christ, six years;
4-H leader in leathercraft,
three years; life member,
Oregon State University
Alumni Assn.
She is currently secretary of
the lone City Planning Com
mission; secretary, lone
United Church of Christ Board
of Trustees; historian, Ameri
can Legion Auxiliary (lone
unit); publicity chairman,
lone United Church of Christ
Auction and Barbecue; en
vironmental chairman, Ore
gon Wool Growers Auxiliary;
member, Cardinal Club of
lone; and lone correspondent
for the Gazette-Times.