The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1903-01-02
FOREST PRESERVING
Washington Needs Laws to Stop
Forest Fires.
The Great Annual Destruction of
standing Timber by Fires Is
An Immense Loss

NO measure OF greater Importance
VIII come before the legislatures at Salem
ana olympia next month than the Dro-
posed bill Tor protecting our forests from
destruction by fire, says the Oregonian.
Even under the most drastic methods
that may be adopted, it will be impoasi
Die TO prevent some loss each wear bv
hres which could not well be avoided
but never again should Oregon and
washington face such an enormous loss
as was caused by the cOnhagration
which swept over the timber belts of the
two states last fall. The Bureau of For
estry at Washington, from the reports
OF special agents, places the loss in the
two states at $l2, 100000, about one
third OF this amount being placed
against Oregon and the remainder
against Washington
The amount Of standing timber de-
stroyed IN this state il estimated at over
OO,OOO,OOO feet, and some idea of the
magnitude OF this loss can be CLEANED
from the fact that it would have been
sufficient to keep all the mills in Oregon
running for four years.
The packing of Columbia River sal
mon Is one OF the great industries of the
state, giving employment to thousands
OF people and annually disbursing
large sums of money on both the Ore
gon and Washington sides of the river;
but II this industry was suspended, and
not fish caught for four years, the
actual loss OF the two states would be
less than that suffered in few weeks last
fall by the wholesale destruction of the
forests. This loss Is not shown to it's
fullest extent by the government figures.
as they are supposed to cover only
standing timber OF a merchantabIe value
at the time of its destruction. Ii re-
quired hundreds OF years to bring the
giant fir, spruce and cedar trees which
perished so quickly to the state of per
fectiOn in which the deadly flames found
them, and to replace them, if they ever
could be replaced, would be the work,
not OF years and generations, but Of
centuries.
The timber destroyed in these fires
which the government does not include
in its figures consists of thousands. and
perhaps millions, of young trees, which
eventually would take the place of the
merchantable timber rs il was removed.
The logger, with all Of his vandalism in
destroying everything that gets in his
NoSS 0ANUJb lCofCb ~ pICOJy ldlT SJdDu
OF young trees on the ground. These
young trees, if permitted to grow, will
IN time replace the forests now falling
before the lOgger's Ak, but when they
are wiped out Of existence by the flames,
the indifference Of mankind toward pos
terity will prevent their ever being re-
placed. Just what form Of legislation
will be the best is yet to be determined.
Both the Oregon and Washington legis-
latures include number of men di-
rectly interested in the preservation of
our forests, and the demand for some
protection against a repetition of the
awful sacrifice of last summer and fail is
80 urgent that it is hardly probable that
much difficulty will be encountered in
drafting measure that will be ap-
proved.
The burning Of sashings by settlers
is generally blamed for the fires which
have wrought such destruction, and a
law preventing such work during the
dry season, and carrying IA heavy pen
atty, would undoubtedly have a good
effect. This state now holds the great
est bodies of fine timber that are to be
found anywhere in the world, and any
measure tending to prevent the de-
structiOn of these forces by unnatural
means will meet with the hearty ap-
prOVal OF every one interested in the
growth OF the state