Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1892-07-07
Feet of Standing
38S,OO0,O00,0OO

mus we nau IN fourteen states lying
east of the Rocky Mountains, and includ-
ing all the great lumber States OF the
Mississippi Valley, an amount of stand
ing timber ten years ago that was just
about equal to the timber now standing
in the single state of Washington. For
in 1890 Clarence NJ. Barton, acting as
special agent Of the government, and
taking into account the best knowledge on
the subject, estimated the timber OF
Washington at 3S9,365, 100000 feet, and
the cut of 1891 was 1,379,OJO.OOO. And
while the amount oftimber in these four
teen States is about equal to that in
Washington, the total area is about
twelve times as great.
The immense amount OF timber is
nearly all to be found in what is gener-
ally called Western Washington. The
Cascades divide the State into two I'M
eaqual parts, the western comprising
about 25, 900 square miles, the eastern
$4,000. The moist ocean breezes have
caused the great growth in the western
part, and at one time it was covered by a
dense and almost impenetrable forest.
There is comparatively little ungergrowth
but the trees grow verv close together
In Eastern Washington the timber is
found along the eastern slopes OH the
Cascades, in the mountainous northern
counties, and in the extreme southeast,
where spur of the Blue Mountains
reaches out.
The timbered area of the state covers
about twenty-five million acres, and
therefore the average per acre is $500
feet OF timber. This is estimated to be
about one half of what was originally
there, the rest having been destroyed by
fire or converted into lumber. This
average includes the thinly covered
mountainous regions, however. In the
Chehalis district is the "Fire Belt" so
called because the humidity of the at
mosphere effectually prevents any serious
fire. This belt, covering 600 square
miles, will average $4,000 to 10000 feet
OF merchantable timber to the acre.
About the foothills of Mount Tacoma
even greater density is found In the
olympic country, south of the Strait of
Jaun de Fuca, and between the sound
and the ocean, the density is SO great as
to render the country almost impenetra-
BILE, and comparatively little is known of
its resources.
The timber of Washington is far more
limited in its variety than in its amount.
Fir and cedar predominant. The wide
deciduous trees are almost
unknown.
The dark. harsh foliage of the evergreen
lends an almost monotonous tone to the
andschape. Along the shores of Puget
Sound and in the Olympic and Chehalis
'r Gray's Harbor districts, the Douglas
lr sometimes called the Oregon pine pre-
dominates, and these trees here reach a
diameter OF IL to Is feet, and trees have
'een measured that reached $50 feet in
heights though Professor Sargent in his
'eport accompanying the tenth census
places the extreme diameter at - feet
md the extreme height at $50 feet and
hese figures will probably closely an
'roximate the average size Of the trees.
South OF this region, in the countries r.
he north of the Columbia River the
'edar is more abundant. The cedar
caches height Of $50 to 200 feet and
diameter OF IL to IA feet. The wood is
duil brown tinged with red, very light
oft, coarse grained, and easily worked
The tide land spruce, a soft wood that
axes a good finish, is found particularly
lear the mouth of the Columbia. where
forms an almost continuous forest Of
lily miles. The Pacific Coast hemlock
ompletes the list of the principal trees
Washington. Maple, alder and cotton
rood, are found, but not in large quanti-
les and having little commercial value.
La commercial value as well as in ouan-
ty the Douglas fir stands first. The fol-
'wing tests were made by officials Of the
orthern Pacific Railroad in May, 1889. |
This statement is made in C. M. Bar
ms account of the lumber interests of
ne State OF Washington, published by
he U. 5. Government. He quotes Fred |
/. Plummer, of Tacoma as having meas |
red the trees. Mr.. Plummer, when I
'oken to about it, however, declared I
lat n5l uas tho corroat .1.....s, - ! =.