East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-03-13
FIGHTING BIC
FOREST FIRES
CALIFORNIA COMPANY
ADOPTS NEW METHOD.
Broad Fire Lines Burned Around an
Entire Township by McCloud River
Lumber Company Saved the Tract
From Fires Which Devastated the
Other Portions of the State-Plan
Suggested by Forestry Department
and is Highly Satisfactory


ance to timber land owners is the an
nouncement that a California Lum-
ber company, which applied a plan
of fire protection to a single township
during the summer of 1905, is now
preparing to extend the same protec-
ton to the rest of its large holdings
OF cut-over land.
Except in the national forests but
little attempt has as yet been made
TO protect from fire the forests or cut
over lands of the Pacific coast. In
California, it is true, the state forester
has taken up fire protection as one of
the most pressing problems of his
administration, but in Oregon and
Washington. particularly, and on
private holdings in California, fires
are so destructive that little hope is
cherished by owners of securing crops
on cut-over land before fires have
prevented or destroyed them. The
severe losses which have come from
these fires have, however, made a
deep impression upon lumber men.
Where timber lands are owned, too
often the investor must be contented
with the profits of his first lumber
ing operations; since, despite the ex-
cellent natural reproduction which
would, under better conditions. re-
store the lands to forests, fire is al
most certain to burn over, killing
seedlings, scorching larger growth
and so deferring culture cropse in
definitely.
New Method on One Township.
In the summer of 1904 the Nc
| Cloud River Lumber company, of
| McCloud, Cal. appreciating the seri-
| BUSINESS of the fire losses common to
| numbering operations in that region,
/ agreed to attempt to protect its land
| according to the advice of the forest
! service, provided the plan of fire pro-
] lection could be shown to be practi-
| cable and not too costly.
The area chosen for the plan was
| cut-over land, a township in extent,
| on which the amount and character
| of the young timber was, as is COM
monty the case, sufficient TO warrant
expending something to guard it until
| il should establish a renewed forest.
Last summer the plan was put in
| operation. 1t called for clearing and
| burning broad fire lines from 200 to
| 800 feet in width, 10 serve as base
! lines from which to fight possible
| fires; organizing a patrol; locating
| tool houses for the storage of fire
| fighting tools; erecting telephone
lines TO summon aid: and other SIM
liar measures. In making the fire
lines, the old logging trans were fol-
lowed as far as possible, Twenty
miles of lines were cleared.
Plan Was Successful.
During the dry season of 1905 the
operation of this plan proved so sue
cessful that the company took steps
to extend the protection to the rest
OF its holdings-from three to four
hundred thousand acres-and may
new apply to the forest service fol
J anotber nian I'd cover an additiona
10000 acres recently puse""se' II
southern oregon.
The holdings of the McCloud River
Lumber company are in resioi
where the danger from fire is uhusu
ally great Since the long dry seaso'
and the abundance OF slash an
chaparral not only make the startin
Of fires very probable, but also ren
der their control difficU.- in hig
| degree.
One of the most inn 1rtant and sic
nificant points in connection with tn
use of a fire-protection system by
private owner is the fact that
means the recognition of the futul
value Of young timber, proof that TO
4 estry has made rapid strides in Cal
|