River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-08-03

A GIANT OF THE OREGON FORESTS.
Unied States. This means that there
are over 3,000,000,000 feet of standing
timber, which, when cut and sawed into
lumber will make piles of lumber which
figures are inadequate to express. And
Washington has larger percentage OF
her area wooded than has Oregon, be-
ing 20 per cent, or $4,000 square miles.
Idaho, which was part Of the original
Oregon country, discovered by Lewis
and Clark, has an area of woodland
which is estimated at $4,000 square
miles, or AZ per cent of the total area OF
the state.
The fir, hemloclz, cedar, and the spruce
are the trees found in the greatest
abundance, while the larch, pine, ash,
maple, alder, cherry, juniper, cypress,
mountain mahogany and cottonwood
are also plentiful. But the red, yellow
and silver frs are the most valuable
commercially. The introduction OF
western hemlock to the market as a
building material has met with many
obstacles. A strong prejudice has been
aroused by the name of hemlock, owing
to the quality of the eastern species OF
the same name. So great is this preju-
dice even now that, although large guam
titles of tn timber are cut and sold, it is
sold under false or fictitious names,
such as Alaska pine, and Washington
pine, spruce or fir. Western hemlock,
as SUCH has no market standing.
Last year Oregon cut approximately
LAOS, 0000 900 feet Of lumber valued at
$12,650, 900. The mills of the Columbia
river basin produced 600,000,0O0 feet,
and the Portland mills 413,559,285 feet,
and the Astoria mills II 1858, 480 feet. The
cargo trade from the Columbia river
aggregated 164,564,015 feet. Foreign
shipments showed gain Of 12,607, 16l
feet, and domestic shipments an in
crease of 24,313,6 53 feet. In addition to
this there were over 100000 lath cut
washington last year shipped AGO..
8S9, 911 feet of lumber to domestic points,
including Hawaii Alaska and Manila
Her foreign shipments to China and
Japan, South Africa, Peru, Chill and
other South American ports Mexico, the
United Kingdom and Europe totaled
1856, IA, 995 feet. The rail shipments
amounted to nearly as much more as the
total cargo shipments, being 658,29O,-
900 feet Of lumber, and 5,759,64O,OOs
pieces Of shingles. Washington has
over $4,000 men employed in the Ium-
bering industry, and over 7,OOO,OO0 are
paid them annually in wages, so it can
readily be seen how large and impor-
tant is the numbering industry to that
state, and Oregon can tell even BIZ
ger story in the matter Of men employed
and wages paid.
Tacoma is the largest lumber manu-
featuring center OF Washington, and for
that matter of the Pacific coast. OF the
total lumber cut of Washington the
mills of Tacoma cut nearly sixth. Ia
coma claims to be the largest lumber
center west Of Minneapolis and the
largest lumber exporting port in the
world. The largest cargo ever loaded
was taken on board the United States
transport Dix at Tacoma and comprised
100000 feet.
For the fiji st three months of the pres
ent year the Pacific Coast Lumber Man
ufacturers' association reports an aggre-
gate of 259, 276, 222 feet of lumber, 7,48l,-
7S1 feet of 1ath, 554 ,615 feet of pickets and
1S,775,325 shingles in foreign and do
nestle cargo shipments from the two
states.
WILLIS 8. EDISON.