The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-19
STATE OF OREGON
RICH IN LUMBER
Timber Resources of the State
Are Very Great
HUGE TREES PLENTIFUL
The Commercial Value of Timber Is
Greatly in Excess of Total Amount
of Money Current in
United States.
HUGE TREES PLENTIFUL
BY BLAINE PHILLIPS.

AT the Lewis and Clark exposition,
which will open at Portland June l, the
state of Oregon will make an unprece-
denied showing of her timber resources.
The Forestry building itself is an ex-
cellent exhibit of the forest wealth of
the "Web-foot" state. 1t is an enormous
log house, 206 feet long by 102 feet wide,
constructed of giants of the forest in
their native state. Some of the base logs
are six feet in diameter and fifty-two feet
long. Two miles of five and six-foot fir
logs, eight miles of poles and tons of
shakes and cedar shingles were used in
its construction. The building, besides ex-
employing Oregons timber wealth, will
house all the finished products of the for
est.
Those familiar with the timber re-
sources of the United States concede that
the most extensive forestry belts exist
in Oregon. The lumber resources of Ore
gon are practically inexahustible. and the
state is capable of supplying more than
one-sixth of the entire lumber output of
the country. According to an average
taken from the estimates of timber ex-
perts, who have given the matter care
full study, there is at present standing in
oregon approximately 800, 600, 900 900 feet,
b. M, of available timber. This is a much
larger amount of merchantable timber
than Is possessed by any other state in
the country. The most densely timbered
area is west of the Cascade mountains.
This Is largely due to the moisture, Pc
culiar to that section, which materially
aids in the rapid and prolific development
of plant life. The greatest part of Ore
CONS timber resources is located in this
section, which constitutes 30 per cent of
the states area, and estimates would in
dictate that so per cent of the states total
stand of timber may be found there. The
average stand of timber in the area west
of the Cascade mountains is 1900 feet
B. M, to the acre, but in many of the
coast counties, such as C1atsop, Tilla-
nook and Polk, the stand often reaches
$4,000 feet.
Commercial Value Great.
The commercial value of Oregon's tim
Der is greatly in excess of the total
amount of money in currency in the Uni
ted States. Manufactured into timber and
sold at the current quotation, Oregons
timber would bring $3,600, 100000. From
such figures one may CLEAN very clear
conception of the riches with which ma
ture has endowed the "Web-foot" state.
Among the many diversities of timber
tree, not only In the Pacific northwest but
in the entire west coast, predominates.
and furnishes 66 per cent of the total
timber of the state In the forestry belt
west of the Cascade mountains the Doug
las fir furnishes so per cent of the
merchantable timber. Another specie,
which is little appreciated, but furnishes
one of the finest finishing woods in exis-
tence. is the western hemlock. This con-
stitutes per cent of Oregon's timber.
Among the larger species is the giant
tideland spruce, which grows to marvel
GUS proportions, in many instances as
Stunning the diameter of twenty feet and
rising hundreds of feet. This also fur
nishes per cent of Oregon's timber.
Regardless of the fact that the revenues
from Oregon's many resources represent
such fabulous figures as to invariably in
vite increduality from the stranger, the
lumber field at the present time Is one
of the states chief sources of revenue,
and offers figures more phenomenal than
those Of any other industry.
The total output of sawed timber for
the year of 1903 was about 900 900, 900 feet,
b. NJ, which returned $l2.0O0,O0O. In addi-
ton to this, there was an output of forest
products in the form Of logs. poles, hard
wood, veneers, ties, cordwood and many
other wooden articles valued at $12,0O000O;
of paper and wood pulp valued at $1,000
900; shingles valued at $3oO,OOO; cascara
bark. valued at 100000; boxes valued at
s25O,000, and trunk materials valued at
$4,000. With a total output OF 81, 100000 for
the year, Oregon holds a most enviable
record as a forestry state.
Great Careoes Shipped.
From Portland and other Willamette
river points are shipped more lumber car
goes than from any other section OF the
globe. The harbor of Portland accom-
modates the largest vessels ahoat. and
some of these have sailed for the Uni
ted Kingdom or the orient, carrying more
than 3,500,O00 feet of lumber. he average
cargo is about $500, 900 feet, seven OF this
size being cleared from Portland by one
company in a year.
There are at present 457 saw mills in the
state, besides innumerable mills manufac-
turing shingles. sashes. doors, boxes,
veneering, boats, furniture, broom nam
dies. matches and all the necessities OF
civilization, Of which wood Is primarily
the constructive material.
II the average annual revenue from
Oreeon's sawed timber amounts 10 siz,-