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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1958)
12 MAIL TRIBUNE. MadfenJ, Oregon, Sunday, Oetob.r 247 1958 CiniseirvoftDiniDS,4 DmpoLrteini to imbir Sypis t ;i ST 4 A it jy?0 jfyf pd&SSi TOUR STOP One of the early morning., in Jackson county and the problems con tops on a "woods" tour sponsored recently fronting our logging industry were ex by Industrial Forestry association, Medford, plained by foresters from valley lumber was this view of a cable logging operation firms. The group had lunch at Woodruff near Prospect. Guests were shown various meadows forest camp on the upper Rogue, types of logging operations being conducted FvW??MFJZ ZZXS 1 CLEAR CUT-The sight presented by a log- reproduction or replanting the scar soon ging operation that has denuded whole hals and a new forest begins to rise above blocks of forest land is not a pretty one, the clutter. Some sections of the road lead- with charred logs lying helter-skelter Ing to this area, in the Flat creek section, where green trees once stood. With natural cost $25,000 per mile to bliild. If- ii" x " . a -'i if t - rsmst3 EPS DESOLATION This logged off section be tween Prospect and Butte Falls is consid ered a problem area since repeated planting failed to make it grow new trees. The State Research Center is currently conducting re ' search on the plot to see what species of tree can b,e grown there. Since cattle range in this area it was necessary to erect a fence around the section to protect young trees from being eaten or trampled. This was one of 11 stops made on the tour. V LIMB KNOCKER-By removing limbs from the lower trunk of young pine trees clear knotless wood results, making it more valu able as saw timber after it reaches maturity. In a few years the limb sockets heal over and the remaining growth is knot-free. Dem onstrating a "limb knocker" above is John ny Gartman, resident forester for Elk Lum ber company. Federal, Private Agencies Attempt To Build Forests By BOB VROMAN Mail Tribuna Staff Writer Day after day, Irgging trucks continue to roll out of the forests of southern Oregon The buzz of chain saws and the whack of the logger's axe -cnoes continually in the back country as huge machires tear away stands of virgin timber. How long will it be before the timber resources here are depleted and there is nothing left but stark, cut-over land in place of the green forests? Experts say it would be only a matter of 40 to 60 years at tne present rate of cut tnn this country would be stripped of all merchantaDle tjnber With the loss of this timber, Jackson county would be seriously hurt economically and the recreational attractions ci our once-forested areas would be gone. On Thing Stands Between' The one thing that stands between a stable and continu ing forest industry and total loss of our timber resources here is the work of certain groups of men the conserva tionists.' These men are working with just one idea in mind that of building up our forests faster than they are being cut! They ire members of the U. S. forest service, the state forestry department, the federal bureau of land management, as well as several private organizations. Two such private organization.". Southern Oregon Conservation and Tree Farm association and th Industrial Forestry association, are located in offices at 518 Eist Main st., Medford. A few wek.s ago: to show what is being done in Jack son county in the way of conservation and forest manage ment, a group of 14 person were taken on a tour of logging snows ' and experimental forest plots in the upper Rdgue area. Sponsored by Association The tour was sponsored by the Industrial Forestry asso ciation and conducted by the organization's District Forester alvm Smith. Guests on the tour included Mrs. Catherine Heffernan, a member of the County National Water Resources Board; Mrs. Eve Nye, of the League of Women Voters; Rodney Keating, Jackson county judge; Otto Frohnmayer, president of the Medford Chamber of Commerce; Frank Fish, vice president of the California Oregon Power company and miamber of commerce member; Kenneth Cook, manager of the Medford United Airlines office and chamber of commerce member; Donald Hansen, Medford city councilman; Robert Duncan, state representative from this district; Clarence Wil son, owner of KBOY radio station; Jerry Paules, manager of KBES-TV" Sam Richardson, manager of Home Appliance company, Medford; and Ray Graves, head of the social studies department of Medford's junior high schools. Also on the tour wers. foresters from various lumber companies in the county that are members of the Industrial Forestry association. The men included Bill Aftring of Tim ber Productr; Dick Swan of Ross Lumber company; Glen Duysen of Kogay lumber company; Sam Taylor of Elk lum ber; Ed Malloy of Medford Corporation, and Howard Mitchell of Elk. Conyer Problems of Logging The guests represented persons in the county that could help convey to tbe general public the problems that confront the logging and lumber industry here and how the problems are met.' - The forester is not concerned solely with planting trees to replace those that have been cut, but with a hundred and one factors that go to save the trees we have and to make better utilization of them. He must try to orotect the forest lands from destruction by fire, insects, disease and the ravages of careless logging methods. Anything that is an enemy of trees, young or old, is his concern. Many persons may think that forest fires are the biggest threat to our timber lands, and their toll is great, but it rep resents only a fraction of the destrucive forces that are bat tering away at cur growing forests. . Million to One Chance From the time the cone is ripe and a seed is produced, its survival and eventual growth into a mature tree is less than a million to one chance. ; .' Squirrels and chipmunks eat and hoard great quantities of tree seed, cutting down cones before they nave a cnance to ripen. Squirrels nave been known to move into an area that has been newly-seeded by hand and search out the sugar pine teed so that only a small fraction of the planting survived. Once a young tree is above ground it becomes rabbit "lettuce" and browse for der and cattle. If the tree sur vives to become a sapling it is well on the way to full growth, but here is always danger, in the case of pine trees, when it wiil be attacked by porcupines, blister rust fungus, insects or other disease. Douglas fir, too, has its share of afflictions that prevent countless trees from reaching maturity. Poor soil, lack of moisture and nature s own thinning process is also respon sible for the death of many young trees. Produces Mere Than Enough ..But nature is prolific and manages to produce more than enough tress to perpetuate the forest lands. However, when man moves in to harvest the tinber natural reforesta tion is often not adequate and planting must be employed. At the present time there are 28 tree farms in Jackson county, totaling 258,727 acres. These trees can be harvested in about 50 or 60 years, but in the meantime, the logging industry will have to depend on the yet uncut forests and the trees that are maturing on areas that have already been logged. The Oregon Forest Conservation act declares that the continuous growth of timber on forest land is the public policy of Oregon. Thus, anv operator or landowner cutting timber for commercial use is required to leave enough seed trees to mamtai-i continuous forest growth or else provide satisfactory restocking , Examples of Logging Operations The group on the tour saw examples of how logging operations row are being carried out to insure future tim ber growth in cut-over areas. Seed trees, picked for strategic location, age and productivity, were pointed out by forest ers on several plots. The group also saw an example of a .clear cut area, where all trees are cut to the ground and the resulting slash burned before replanting the area with seedling trees. Where an area is to be relogged at a later time, special care on the part of the logger is essential in order to prevent damaee to your.2 timber. Ir. one area, cull trees and seed trees that had served their purpose were removed by horse logging so as not to disturb a fine stand of young pines that were the result of natural reproduction. The operation, on Elk Lumber company land, left hardly any indication that ihe area had been logged at all, since no heavy machinery was used. . ' The group also saw wh-j'e snags were removed from a 25-year-old bMrn which contained a good stand of repro duction. The practice of removing snags in cut or burned over areas is a precaution against lightning-caused fires. The dead trees. dr and pitchy, make ideal fuel and are often struck when they stand out in the open. Pruning Trees Demonstrated Pruning of young pine trees to produce clear, knotless lumber was demonstrated to members of the party by John Gartman, resident forester or Elk lumber company. A spe4 cial tool on a long handle is used to cut or knock off limbs up to a height of 16 or 18 feet. The cost to prune each tree is only a few cents, which has proven to be : a . good investment. Also visited was a piece of land which had been logged several years ago but showed no signs of natural ret)roduc- tion and repeated plantings failed to produce any appreci able regrowth. Classified as a "problem" area, the plot is now undergoing tests by the Oregon State Research Center to determine the species of tree that might survive there. Another area on the tour was where extensive damage was being done to young fir trees by browsing animals, either deer or cattle. A test enclosure bounded by page wire fence to keep our cattle, war erected and a special guard around particular trees insioe the fence are serving as pro tection against deer. This ariangement will enable foresters to determine which one, if either, is causing the damage Alier that will come the problem of eliminating future damage. One of Finest Stands One of the finest stands of young timber resulting from natural reproduction in Jackson county is to be found in an area east of the Rogue river between Prospect and Butte Fails, known ss the 1910 burn. Several hundred areas of vigorous Douglas fir have sprung up from the blackened earth. This type of regrowth is a beautiful sight to a forester because it represents a bountiful forest crop for the future. Also viewed on the tour was the vast expanse of vir gin timber of the upper Rogue area that contains much pr jne merchantable stock as well as trees that are too small to log and those that are past maturity and beginning to die of old age. To make the best use of timber resources, it is neces sary to go into these areas for the merchantable timber and at the same time try to save as much of the younger growth as possible or else clear cut the area and replant. Countless Fectois in Practice Countless factors go into good forest practice.- With the multitude of laws, both written and unwritten, that woods operations must comply with, the cost of road building, the cost of logging equipment, the necessity of maintaining a "fire department" in every camp, it is Ittle wonder that the price of lum.ber is what it is today. The main thing now is to see to it that there is still adequate timbpr for the future so that coming generations will not have to pay two or three dollars a foot for lumber to build a home Those who went on the recent tour know that much is being- done to insure against this coming about. CORE SAMPLE-To determine the age of a tree and whether or not it shows prospects of becoming good saw timber within a reasonable length of time, core samples are taken with the device being demonstrated above by Calvin Smith of Indus trial Forestry association, Medford. Width of the rings in recent years show if the tree is in a vigorous or slow stage of growth. If it has stopped growing the tree will be marked for removal when the area is logged. PINE BEETLE-The tiny insect pictured in the hand of Sam Taylor, forester for Elk Lumber company, is responsible for thousands of dollars worth of damage each year to pine trees in Jackson county. The beetle bores into the bark of the'pine tree and cuts the cambium layer, the tree's most vital tissue. The pine bark beetle is only one of many insects, fungi and parasites that plague our forests. Ty?WWWWWBIWWWHIIWwq : 3 YOUNG PINE Calvin Smith (right, above) district forester for Industrial Forestry association, Medford, shows a typical young pine tree to Ray Graves, head of the social studies de partments of Medford's Junior High schools. The pine, one of thousands resulting from natural reproduction in an area owned by Elk Lumber company, will be ready to harvest in 50 to 60 years. The land was horse logged last winter to re move cull and seed trees without damaging the young stand. h a5 'J- 1 BROWSE DAMAGE-Either cattle or deer have been doing a great deal of damage , to young Douglas fir trees on pri vately-owned forest land between Butte Falls and Prospect. One of the trees is being inspected above by foresters Calvin Smith of Industrial Forestry association and Howard Mitchell of Timbr Products. The young tree, misshapen and dwarfed by having its branches and crown eaten off, has a poor start in becoming a merchantable tree." Mine Collapse Fatal To Three Shippingport, Pa. -(UPD- The rock, roof of a mine tunnel collapsed Thursday' ' killing three men working in a small mine near here. The dead included John Call Jr., 19, Aliquippa, son of the mine owner. Other victims of the cave- in were Dale wasKieu, zo, Monaca Heights, and his brother, Ellwood, 28. The elder Call, who pur chased the mine recently, dis covered the collapse about 100-feet from the tunnel en trance when he returned from coal deliveries. . Volunteers from nearby in dustrial plants discovered young Call's body first when they noticed his arm protrud ing from debris. Shortly after ward. Dale Haskiell'i body was located. The body of the elder Has kiell was pinned under an 18 foot section of rock and was not freed until some six hours after the mishap. 1 Qonsider. 'Price 'Policies even the boss won't know You're at your best in any sit uation with Sonotone's latest a slim-trim eyeglass hearing aid. Only eyeglass hearing aid with exclusive AVC (Auto matic Volume Control) to soften sudden, loud noises. Fashion-thin temples fotboth men and women. Also latest "Tuck-A-Way" styles for those who don't wear glasses. COME IN. SEE AND HEAR SONOTONE C. R. Adamson, Mgr. 839 E. 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