East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-07-12
TIMBER ON THE LEvEEs.
Mississippi Finds New Source OF
Supply Coming Into Use

One of the Investigations with which
the bureau of forestry has been en-
gagged recently is a study of the tree
growth along the Mississippi river
from Cairo, ILL.,, to New Orleans. Bor-
dering the river is a strip of land
about Is miles mide on either side,
which is subject to repeated over
flows; consequently a large proportion
of the area is unavailable for agricul-
ture. Notwithstanding the richness of
the soil.
Following the channel at a distance
of from one-eighth of a mile to two
miles from low water line, levees
have been erected to control the
stream. Between the levees and the
river there can be no question of cul-
tivation because of the certainty of
overflow, but the land easily serves
to raise cottonwoods, since the trees
do not object to the periodical high
water. Behind the levees much of the
land can be drained and cultivated.
Other parts are too wet for field crops,
and there a dense and valuable forest
is found, composed of ash, oak, hick-
ory, cypress, gum and cottonwood.
The opportunity which the bureau
of forestry finds is this On the mar
row strip inside the levees cottonwood
can be grown with almost no care and
harvested when the trees are from 35
to 40 years old. This wood now has
a recognized place in the market for
the manufacture Of boxes, for furni-
t,tr han rxrocI,hnordc nna
company alone uses 60,000,000 board
feet year for making washboards.
Behind the levees much of the land
will undoubtedly be reclaimed for
agriculture, but until that shall be
done the opportunity to maintain a
forest of valuable trees is too good to
be lost. In this forest white ash is
the most important species, both be-
cause 1t grows more rapidly than oak
and some other woods and because 1t
is in constant demand and can be used
in small sizes. The ash has been pret-
ty we'll cut out of this forest, even to
trees as small as six inches in dame
ter. This is wasteful, and the bureau
recommends the application of more
conservative numbering to these lands.
This simply means that the mature
trees of all species shall be logged
carefully and that in taking them out
the young, immature trees, especially
those of ash and hickory, of which
there is also a small quantity, shall
be carefully preserved and left to
grow until they reach merchantable
size, or a diameter of about 20 inches.
II this be done, the owners of the land
can count on a second crop OF valua-
BILE timber before the land may be
required for farming.
OF course, under such system of
management the forest must be pro-
tected from fire. The practice now is
to burn out the underground periodi-
cally. That destroys all the small
trees. Forest management and fires
cannot exist together; but there ap-
pears to be no necessity for setting
these fires. and since the ground is
nearly always moist. there is little
danger of their being started acci-
dentally.
The whole question of the profitable
management of these forest lands lies
within the control of the owners. In
stead of reaping one harvest, as they
now do, It will be almost as easy to
secure the successive crops, so long as
the land remains unavailable for
farming. When that time comes the
forest must give way permanently.