2 B
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 13
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
Christmas Tree Cutting Rewarding Family Event
"Christmas tree, Oh, Christ
mas tree, how lovely are thy
branches" is sung from coast
to coast this time of year.
And whether the branches
visualized are pine, fir, hem
lock or cedar depends to a great
extent upon the state in which
the singer spent his early child
hood, Rogue River National For
est Service personnel pointed
out this week, discussing the
cutting of family Christmas
trees as it is carried out in
this forest.
For the choice of tree, like
all other traditions associated
with Christmas, reverts to the
home.
In Oregon, family Christmas
tree pickers are granted their
choice, D. F. Reiser, timber
sales officer for the Rogua Riv
er National Forest Service,
stated, but 90 per cent ort the
Rogue River National , Forest
choose firs, he noted. , ,
The ranger from Pennsylva
nia wants a Norway pine. The
man from Virginia a sugar pine.
The Oklahoman will ask for an
incense cedar. This season, in
California, Christmas tree vend
ors are pushing lodge pole
pines.
Favored on Coast
The lodge pole pine is also
favored on the Oregon coast,
or was a few years ago, accord
ing to Kciscr, who was stationed
in the Siu.slaw forest when he
observed that to many people
in the Rccdsport and Florence
areas it was the lodge pole pine
"that had the smell ot Christ
mas." Christmas lice gathering on
the Rogue River National For
est, where commercial sales
were a matter of course a few
years ago, is limited this year
to families and organizations,
such as Boy Scouts, who sell
trees to help finance a com
munity project.
Last year there were 4,190
trees cut on the Rogue River
Forest. Of this total approxi
mately 2,0(10 were cut as family
Christmas trees. By Dec. 12,
10112, Keiscr said, there had been
1,500 trees cut, most of them
from the Union Creek Ranger
district which always leads in
sales because it Is the land of
the firs, particularly the "silver
lips." The most favored tree in
this area is the silver-tipped fir.
Last week end Phil Gilman,
forester in charge of Christmas
tree cutting on the Union Creek
district, reported 350 trees cut.
This week end will probably bo
the biggest in Christmas tiec
sales, (the families pay $1 for
each tree) Reiser said, hut there
will still he people wanting to
go into the woods for. a Christ
mas lire the last Sunday before
ne noi:dny, ucc. Ti.
A Family Project '
This Christmas tree culling is
a lamily project and a reward
ing one in the opinion of for
esters. Reiser said he planned
to lake his own family out for
a tree today. He expects the
highways to be lined with park
ed cars and the woods to be
filled wilh men, women and
children in search of the frag
rant evergreens, without which
Christmas just isn't Christmas
to many people
The trees are being sold on
four ranger districts. There are
rangers on duly to direct the
Christmas trco seekers into the
most accessible areas on the
Butte Falls, Prospect and Ash
land as well as the Union Creek
Ranger Districts.
Few people have been lost in
pursuit of Christmas trees in
the Rogue River Forest hut it is
one of the hnzimts rangers must
guard acainsl.
One Family l.nM
Last year, Reiser said, one
Mcriford family was lost while
Christmas tree cutting on the
Union Creek Ranger District.
This section, foresters believe.
Is the one in the Rohue River
Natioii .. forest cutting region
where there is the most likeli
hood of persons becoming lost.
Therefore, a program has been
designed to thwart this possi
bility, Reiser explained. I h e
cutting region is divided into
sections and the man in charge
asks each person in search of a
tree which section he plans to
enter. Each person or family
going into the woods is required
to register and to report in upon
leaving the district.
The last Sunday before Christ
mas last year dark descended
wkh one party still in the woods.
Rangers went out on an inspec
tion tour and found the car
on the highway at the point spe
cified but no sign of the owner
and his small children. The
rangers fanned out into the
woods and about 10 p.m. found
the man and his small children
definitely lost. They helped car
ry children and tree back to the
car for him and got the family
on Its way to Medford and a
Merry Christmas.
Snow Hampers Cutting
Silver-tinned firs are found on
the Ashland Ranger District al
so, but snow often hampers the
cutting there, more than it docs
in the Union Creek area, Reiser
said. There was snow last week
at the 3,000 foot elevation, so a
sled may be a useful piece of
equipment on the Christmas
tree cutting jaunt today.
Christmas tree cutting can be
damaging where a reforesta
tion program is under way or in
an area where there are just
enough trees to insure the proper
number reaching maturity. For
this reason the cutting on forests
is controlled and some private
areas that are understocked
have bech posted against cut
ling. Trees are still sold commer
cially occasionally when there is
an area that has to be cleared
for some reason such as estab
lishment of an access road,
Reiser explained. Then t h e
Roguo River National Forest
calls for bids. This process also
is used on some timber sales
where it is known that logging
will damage the young trees.
They are sold as Christmas
trees to commercial buyers if
the timing can be worked out
satisfactorily.
Accepted Number
From CO to loo trees per acre
is accepted as the best number
In he brnughl into maturity so
this usually leaves leeway for
considerable Christmas tree cut
ting, Reiser said. When he was
on the Zigzag Ranger District
nt the Ml. Hood National Forest,
Christmas trees were sold by
the lens of thousands to Port-
landers.
Back in 1041 when the Rogue
River National Forest Service
was encouraging the commer
cial movement of trees, par-
licularly the Shasta firs (silver-
tipped Lnristmas trees) sales
brought in $4,550 for 13.000 trees.
The previous year the forest
had sold 3,000 silver tipped firs
for $1,730. To illustrate the value
of this particular tree on the
Christmas market a comparison
was made with sales on other
forests. That same year the
Olympic National Forest sold
ll.iillO trees for $597.
The one silver-tipped fir which
brought Ihc most money during
five years of soiling was pur
chased by movie stars ( o r a
Christmas party on shipboard.
They paid $200 for Ihc tree.
Individuals drmv Trees
Now, many individuals are
growing firs f o r Christinas
trees.
One of the smallest acreages
is in the I able Rock district
where Robert W. (Rob) Sage
principal of Mcdford's Roose
velt School, is growing Christ
mas trees on two acres as a
hobby. His planting was under
the Soil Conservation program,
which specifies that the trees be
Wr-v : u troop Z wl
1 1
SCOUTS SELL TREES -For
those people who can't go into
the Rogue River National Forest
to choose their Christmas trees,
Boy Scouts of Troop 2, under di
rection of Dick Swan, Scoutmas
ter, and H. A. Mauck, assistant,
are selling the forest service
trees this season. They are of
fering the trees to the public in
two locations. Some are at the
Swan home, 2501 Lyman Ave., in
Medford, and others at the Trav
elodge Motel, 22 N. Riverside
Ave. Photographed with their
trees at the latter lot, close to
the swimming pool, are (left to
right) Victor Hass, Ted Mauck,
Paul Bowers, Bob Waugh, hold
ing up a choice fir; and Don
Nelson.
allowed 10 years to grow. He
has four years to go before any
will be cut for the Christmas
trade.
Some have had to be pruned
back to keep them from grow
ing beyond tne proportions de
sired for indoor trees. For, he
explained, fir trees, like any
others, grow better on good
land. The trees on the far end
of his property are in richer
soil and Ihc problem is to keep
them from becoming giants
while encouraging the others in
less -fertile ground to reach
'apartment size."
One of the largest plantings
was made in 1957 in the Apple
gate area, where Glen Best,
Glenn Hunter and Billy Joe
Hunter planted 400.000 trees on
a 450-acre farm. They are now
harvesting some of them for the
Christmas trade. Some are 10
feet tall and others arc just
apartment size. Many others
never grow and Mrs. Glenn
Hunter explains It with this bit
of poetry "Only God can
make a tree."
Canada Bothered
By Lumber Bill
WASHINGTON (UPD Can
ada Thursday expressed "deep
concern" over a bill ncaring the
final stages of congressional ac
tion to require Canadian lum
ber Imported into the United
States to be marked as to coun
try of origin.
Canadian Ambassador Charles
S. A. Ritchie indicated in a
meeting wilh Deputy Undersec
retary of State U. Alexis John
son that Canada-would consider
the action a violation of Cana-
dian-U.S. trade agreements un
der the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
The lumber marking provision
was agreed on by a lluuso-Sen-
ate Conference Committee as an
amendment to a hill passed in
different forms by Congress.
Approval by both houses of the
compromise bill Is all that is
needed to send the measure to
President Johnson (or signature.
Tile marking requirement was
a keystone of U.S. lumber in
dustry efforts In cut back Can
ada s $2H0 million a year soft
wood lumber sales to Ihc Unit
ed States. It would enable en
forcement of "Buy-American"
practices by government agen
cies and would serve as the
foundation for a drive to extend
"Buy- American" requirements.
ORDER NOW
FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
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HOME OF PEAR-FECTION
Two Convenient Locations
132 West Main-16 South Central
SISKIYOU
PAVED
PARKING
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Covered Family
Parking for
Six Autos
The Only Person Qualified
To Answer Your Questions
About A Pre-Need Funeral
Arrangement Is Your
FUNERAL DIRECTOR
WHY PAY MORE AND RECEIVE LESS?
JOE R. H05ICK
Mortuary Mar,
772 J48I
"Chapel in the Trees'
MORTUARY
2100 Siikiyou Blvd.
Purple Shield
Funeral Insurance
LIW G. MlltS
Cimttiry Mgr.
772-2144
Siskiyou Memorial Park
CEMETERY
60S Highland Drive
Columbarium
Cromatory
Recreation Area
Open Hours Slated
The II ward Prairie Uecrea
tion area will bo open to (he
public starling at 111 a.m., Dec.
according lo I!. T. Johnston,
concessionaire.
Hoail anil weather condilions
could change the opening date,
Johnston stressed.
Current plans are lo have the
area open from III a m. to 5
p.m. daily through Jan. I, and
open .Saturdays and Sundays
in January if the weather is
cold enough so ice condilions
are favorable for skating. !
The restaurant will he open!
i during the hours the public Is 1
allowed in (he area. JoIuimiiii
said, lie skate rentals will not
be available at tile lake, but !
will be available at Ihc Medford'
Johus'.on Store, he explained. '
Since there is no telephone '
communication at the lake, resi-'
dcnls will have lo depend on
reports o.' ice and road conditions.
Hatfield Envisions
Satellite Industries
PORTLAND ll'PD-Gov.
Mark Hatfield Thursday niithl
envisioned a Si- nullum plant
with satellite industries as a re
sult of development of black
sand iron deposits near Astoria.
The Hunker Hill Co. of Kel
l"CR. Idaho, has been prospect
ins the sands at the mouth of
the Columbia River.
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