New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-18
THE FORESTS OF MT. SHASTA.
ALL THE TREES on THE WESTERN SLOPE
N DANGER.
TIE LAND SOLD TO LUMEERMEN-wHiT THE
LOSS OF THEsE WOODS WILL MEAN

ruary there appeared In the Ncwlork papers small
| item, which unobtru>vey stated that -o'oVo "'ItS
Of timber land. situated the base OF MOUNT oh"S'"'
| had been sold February II 10 Miller ~ brewster
| a lumber firm. Of Green Bay. Wis. ana lathm "
Bowen Of pan Francsco. tic rate OF 80 an acre
The notice proceeded to state that the land meho'ea
was very near the Southern Pacific Railroad wltlh
few miles indeed II its northern extension Del"ech
! sacramento and Portland, ore. suppose tlls ho'oo
attracted little attention among the residents OF East
| crn cities bui 70 who has hunted, hshed OF
campcd among the superb woods OF shasta the lew
printed lines sounded the saddcst Of death kncls over
thousands Of wonderful trees the destruction Of
hundreds of sparkling brooks full Of fish over the for
est haunts Of myrads Of wild creatures who must
! fee before the destruction Of the woodlands axe
n the people of the country at large were not
deeply ignorant Of the nature and the value OF the
coa california forests they would neglect for brief
moment the party calls upon their attention, ana
| nnite to demand some plan by which the Government
would insure the protection OF the giant lote''S ~"
/ 50 rapidly falling beneath the axe. Every reaocr
knows something Of the great sequolhs OF 'he 'cIr
crovcs although no one can realize them who has
not stood beneath them but think the Eastern pun
lie is profoundly ienont Of the great size ana Vane
% tho ordinary forests of Northern California These
are the more remarkable because most OF 'he 9ao'''
mento and San Joaquin valleys, the '"'oraoo oeSc''
tha eastern slopes OF the Coast Mountains anu "o
! Coast Range south OF latitude 3D. are treeic's'
while the sierra Nevada md the western slopes OF
the Coast Range north Of the same parallel
ore clothed with fine forests. and In the sierra ioots
| and the coast valleys beautiful open groves OF
ancient oaks The timber Of the coast Is redwood III
the north and spruce and pine further south Iherc
IS nothing to be called timber In southern CahIora
except trees OF artificial planting. The superiority Oh
the conerous trees + wonderful The California trees
are like and yet unlike those Of the Eastern States or
OF Europe There oak pine, spruce sycamore ana
horse chestnut trees. but yet each OF these diners III
many important particulars from the trees oearhg '~Se
names in the Eastern states. California Is bo'hical
district By Itself Her vegetation has been communl
Gated to DO other district
The largest and most beautiful conifcrous trees IN
the world grow on the slopes OF Mount shasta
mountain which occupies position emitting IT 20 Its
name "thc hystone OF California scenery 1t Is an
Isolated mountain. and If II conld lc torn out OF l'
foothills at height above sea level OF 4ooO feet "ouu
leave hole eighty miles In circumference III i W oe
wished that II such convusion Of nature should ever
occur II would come enough TO bury In the ruin
every man who through desire OF gain or careeSsnes'
Is now contributing 70 the Destruction Of Its forests
The conicrous trees the base OF shasta grow %
height OF 300 feet with n thickness ot eight OF Ten
feet in the trunk. Among those Gghnuc Glones OF
the vegetable kingdom the sugar pine the hheSt
| tree OF all the pine kind with NJ superior In the
vegetable kingdom save the two sequoias 0le glgantca
and the sempervlrcus or redwood II resembles the
white pine OF the East although exhibiting symmetry
| and vigor OF growth not attained BY any East
ern trees. II sometimes attAins 300 feet IN
height and 90 feet In diameter but good speci
mems are 2lo feet high. The young trees give
early promise Of future majesty, even when the
trunk Is but n foot 10 diameter. The remote and
regular branches covered like the stem with smooth
grayish green bark show that. although 50 large the
plant has only begun IL ufc Of centuries Nearly
the whole growth is thrown into the trunk. when
stand, perpendicular column without a flaw. 1t
glaEl len
The resin Of this pine from whence 1t derives Its
name is like sugar in appearance. granulation ana
taste Botanic name Piuus LAmbertana.
The yellow pine comes next In size. sometimes
reaching n diameter Of seven feet. The bark Is
ycllowsh cork Color and Is divided into large smooth
plates OF four 20 eight inches wide. and from twelve
TO twenty long by this popularity the yellow pine
can 10 known at great distance. rhis tree Is plcnti
fu upon the slopes OF shasta and runs northward to
Washington. The nut pine has wonderful spreading
top branching much like maple. IL Is about
sixty feet high with a trunk four feet through. and
divides into any number OF upward growing brhnches
The seeds are as large common bean ana are as
sweet and agreeable 10 the taste chestnuts They
we're once tho main food Of the Indians, who were
able 10 grasp the rough bark with their hands, put
their feet against and walk MP 10 without touch
ing body or knees until they reached the branches.
Then there Is the twisted pine averaging Sixty icet
In height.
and frs ccdars. laurcls, buckeyes. mahronas and
manzanitas sycamorcs and many varieties OF oak
There are four kinds of fir alone on the MoClond River
The red fir Douglas spruce tree OF immense siAc
growing 10 be- 300 feet high and ten feet tmch
II Is one Of the gaudcst Of the group
Of giants which combine 10 form the
forest on shasta In appearance IL IS magnificent but
ifs grain i, coarse and uneven. and II can only b" u'"i
in shpbmldlng and for rough work. The yellow fir Is
very similar. and both varieties are found together.
Tho black fir l., smaller while the blsam white fir
.ttains height Of 100 feet. and diameter Of seven
feet The bark Is full of fir basam
The ccdars are numerous. Tho arbor vitae, or
Thuia Cigantca is symmetrical and graceful and often
300 feet he:.. The juniper i white In color about
thirty feet high and and hard III texture "a tO Dc
useful 10 engravcr, TIE white cedar, lou Only on
Shasta and as far tho TETON Pass is 100 feet hlgl
seven feet thick and has a peculiar angular trunk.
The fragrant cedar. sha7ta. Il large tree
with white clear wood most valuable for furniture.
There are three distinct botanic zones on Shasta, |
first a chaparrrl zone about four miles In width, |
covered with manzafia. ccanorhuS, cherry ana chih'
copin Lu hes from three ~ six feet high Down mo
This belt wide swarhes Of the finest ooniferons trees
come sweeping; silver frs. red cedars, spruces ana
mines If their tail trunks and dark heads above the
Grim -on. tinted madrOncs and the richly towering
ccanotlus. Throughout open places IN ths belt arc
mas,I fields Of cCilcnrod, ascrs gillaS, lilies oi
many hIcs ard mpns. The next highest botanic Hol"
on shasta Is the FIR zone ana bc'r' i"'c''' "'"'''
exclusively made ~ the three silver hfs-ihe pNe' |
crandIs the plcca amabs and he pcen amapl' |
lar nobilis names none TOO mghsoundng ana maI's"c
for fine forest beauties that bear them. This zone
fop two 10 three milo, wide, has an average eieNh
zion q, A.. lower edge of 5000 AT It's upper oooo
feet Between this and the volcanic snow covered
,oicbis OF Shasta f. Alpine zone c0vcrai WIN
dwarf pne; heath worts stin carocs Uch"hs ana
rcd snow Pines from three TO four feet mgh ol'eh
attain an elevation Of $500 fcth above inc Sc"' ~
,,ho have tcars7 be ready. for II Is the Two lower