Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-08-29
TIMBER PROBLEMS.
Relation of Reserves To Fires and
values.

forests, more familiarly known as the
forest reserve, as we'll as adding to the
number OF forest rangers, is claimed by
the friends OF the Roosevelt administra-
zion to be responsible to large extent
for the absence of forest fires in this
state, says Portland correspondent.
Others contend that we have had
more rain than usual, and still some OF
the old-timers say that there have been
summers in the past when the forest
fire was unknown.
Be that as it may, citizens of Portlan d
have not forgotten the remark OF Henry
Ward Beecher, when in terviewed by a
reporter as to the northwest and its
scenery, said: 81 might as we'll have
been in msil sack for all saw" And
there have been many occasions during
August when the smoke from the in
Vulnerable forest fires hid the scenery
and almost obscured the sky.
The increased value of timber is
having much to do with the care the
forests are receiving, and the private
owners are guarding their great store OF
wealth even more zealously than the
government.
The advance in the value OF timber
during the past three years is so
enormous as to be almost unbelievable
There are three hundred billions OF feet
o. standing timber in Oregon alone, and
counting the advance at only S. per
thousand feet, and in many kinds of
lumber it has been five times that, the
increased value would be billion and
half dollars, or hundred million
more than the capitalization of the
United States Steel and Standard Oil
companies combined.
James J. Hill recently made the
statement that one acre of Oregon
timber was worth as much to railroad
from transportation standpoint as 100
acres OF wheat or as be graphically put
it, Zone harvest from your we'll timber
ed acres gives the transportation COM
pany as much freight as the same area
in wheat would supply in hundred
and sixty years.
The scarcity of timber throughout
the United States and Europe is I
probably the chiet reason why skilled
timbermen from all parts of the world
are gathering in the Pacific northwest.
1t is not unusual to meet men who have
made their millions out of the develop !
ment of the timber resources of Texas, 7
Louisiana and the Mississippi, joining i
with these from Michigan, Minnesota {
and Wisconsin in acquiring timber {
holdings here and the millions that have ,
been transferred from the older states :
to the north west in such purchases have n
had much to do with making Oregon q
and Washington independent in their q
development.
Slabwood, the outside or trimming ]
from the log. including the bark, has t
become luxury instead Of drug on c
the market, as formerlv, for years 'slab" /
has been the staple fuel for the home.
A few years ago it was delivered to any r
part of the city for 81 . cord, then it rose t
in price, up to two years ago to $1.75 P
per cord, and the housekeepers groaned t
at the advance and figured over the c
increased cost OF running their furnaces
and their stoves. and many put in coal. q
Now this slabwood brings - per crod, Z
where formerly the mills were 80
anxious to get rid of 1t that they used it
as filling for the low lands around their
grounds.
Ordinary fir wood in four foot lengths
was torn erly SO per cord; then it rose
t, $4 and 81 so. Now it is Sc per cord
and the buyer is the one who is favored.
The waste resulting from the erection
Of new buildings was until last year te =,
T. cked up 10 the street and burned. 1t n
> eemed a wasteful thing to those from "
The eastern states, where kindling is Oh
carefully put away, but the people out h,
here have the habit now of saving this Vi
waste, and it is carefully stacked away Q,
n the basement for the coming winter a
With the same care as it would be in
ohio or Illinois.
Then in the yards of the larger mills
ars can be seen loading lumber for