The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-09-26
A WOODSMAN'S VIEWS
on the matter Of
FOREST PRESERVATION
AUBURN. Wash. Sept IT.

/ Editor The Call: i see In Sundays
issuA of The CAN an article BY for
estrv expert, signed e. A Sterling and
| an editorial on the question Of forest
J preservation
unfortunately I never have had
course in scientific forestry, and have
never Travelled in Europe, but nave
| for the last twenty-five years been In
the employ of two Of the largest tim
Der owning corporations in the North
west. namely the Northern Pacific
Railway and the Weyerhaluser Tim
her Company and its allied companies
| and have to speak my piece as a
woodsman and an observer. or Call
fornia and the climatic condition pecu-
/ liar to it know nothing
| In Western Washington I have trav-
eled a good deal in the last fourteen
! years and have arrived at same con-
| illusions which Of course may be mod
| fled If I followed this work fourteen
years more.
| First-The Indian was not a for
/ ester in the scientific sense Of the
word. He was interested in exploit
| ing the game, which was his means
Of subsistence. To do this he did, and
does yet to a limited extent, use fire
| to remove the forest growth, and let
/ the sun in to get the growth Of fire
weed and hardwood brush the game
! feeds on One main growth Of COM
| mercial timber in Western Washing
/ ton is fir. Next is cedar. Any one
/ who has had a course in scientific
/ forestry can put In the scientific
names right here.
The history Of FIR Is thisi u only
can grow right when the seed can get
/ to the mineral soil. This Is true of
| cedar TO a great extent When not
/ disturbed by fire the FIR and cedar
| grow and mature, each year dropping
their waste products, leaves and
cones, till they arrive at maturity and
\ die. By this time there is from six
/ inches to two feet of rotten wood on
| the ground, with those trees which
/ died before reaching maturity. This
represents 500 or 500 years of
/ time. In the meantime, there has
/ grown up, that win make timber.
/ in addition to the vine maple and
| brush, a growth Of hemlock and
white FIR. So far there is no young
| growth Of fir or cedar to speak Of.
| If there is no fire yet. there viii very
/ likely be a wind on the exposed
places. The result OF this is that
when the sun gets in there Is a thick
/ growth Of hemIock and white 1r
which are inferior grades OF timber
/ and must be classed as weeds by the
woodsman who is interested chiefly in
exploiting the timber. From this on
you can look for no more fir or cedar,
but the hemlock and white fir will
reproduce itself for another genera
/ ton, or perhaps two, till there is from
| two feet to four feet of rotten wood
on the ground or floor. which you
call duff. Then the process appears
to stop so far as timber is concerned.
/ What growth comes up is scattering,
shortbodied and unfit for lumber, al
though the conditions are ideal for
holding the rain as it falls.
Now comes 10 the poor Indian
whose untutored mind knows nothing
of forestry as taught in universities or
as practiced in Europe. and sets fire
/ to this mass of duff or rotten wood.
/ If he gets a good burn and clears
/ this all off to the mineral soil, the
next growth will be FIR and cedar if
there are enough living trees near by
/ to furnish seed. If not, If there is
still a layer Of humus on the ground.
/ the next growth will be hemlOck and
white fir. Good Of their kind. but
not the best kind Of timber the soil
/ can produce.
/ Second-There are two problems.
/ One is to conserve the moisture on
| the hills. If this is the chief object
keep the fire out by all means. Let
the brush and debris from logging lie
| as it falls, and decay, II you log any.
but better not log at all If the only
| object is to keep the moisture back
| as long as possible, for the more rot
| ten wood or duff there is on the
ground the more water IL will hold
/ Also keep stock off. for sheep and
goats, and to a certain extent cattle,
will clear off the brush and pack the
/ soil. If the question is to preserve
the timber supply, and upon this de-
ponds the prosperity of most of West
ern Washington and Oregon, either
/ leave some of the fir and cedar while
| logging for seed, or make arrange
ments for seeding anew, but burn the
| logging works. Then reburn, and
keep it up till the last vestige OF rot
| ten wood or dun is gone and the
| mineral soil is exposed over the whole
tract
Fire viii kill the hemlock and white
fir quicker than it will the FIR. Con-
sequently your next growth will likely
be fir. for that is all that will be left
| to furnish seed. But if you want TO
raise FIR, remember that all else is
weeds, and fir is the best and quick
/ est growth we can get.
But when the ground is once burnt
clean and seeded to fr, then keep the
fire out, for until it is thirty or forty
years old it is very tender, the bark
| is thin and there will be lots of small
trees crowded out which will die II
the stand is thick enough to make
good timber. and this viii burn hard
enough to kill what is left.
+. H. CONANT.
auauIr0a Tn nurnlro