Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-11-18
RsfoREsrArIoN is EASY.
Observations of a Practical Timber
man Clearly Set Forth.
(By J. $. Young, Inman-P -Poulsen Log
ging Co, Kelso, Wash.)

glhS 70, helsO, WASH
The Timberman: As the question of
conserving our present forests and re-
foresting our logged-off lands is now
commanding so much attention, few
observations from one who has given
the subject considerable thought may
not be out of place.
People who are dealing with statistics
and theories tell us that our forests will
be practically exhausted in fifty years,
at the present rate of cutting; and as
the rate of consumption will undoubt-
edly increase, it would seem that our
only hope of IA supply for future gener-
ations Is IN growing more trees.
The question of conserving and pro
tecting our forests and raising another
crop of timber to take the place of the
one we are now cutting and destroying
is purely an economic one, and not gov
erned by academic theories. Hence, we
will conserve and protect our present
forests, plant and raise new crop of
trees on our logged-off lands Just as
soon as we find out that ii pays to
do so.
The writer remembers doing lot of
hard work, in early life, along with
many others, destroying our forests that
we might raise grain and garden truck
to eat and hay for our stock; and why!
Because these things to us had value,
and trees had none. We could not eat
them and nobody wanted to buy them.
But mark the change today. The trees
have a value; our forests are at the
present time one of the chief sources of
wealth to the states along the Pacific
Coast, and where the conditions for re
foresting are SO favorable, they can be
made a source of wealth for all time to
come. But as approximately only 20
per cent of the standing timber of the
country is in the hands of the govern,
ment and about 80 per cent under pri-
vate ownership, the question of refor.
estation presents some serious Difficult.
ties.
What is the age of our present for
ests! What are the means to be en-
ployed to re1orest our logged-off lands :
What length of time will it takel What
benefits can be derived2 And then
the great question, Will it payl
To the first question, l would answer:
From 100 to 400 years" The ma
tional government is at the present time
gathering the data to answer questions
two and three.
The writer has made some observa-
tions regarding the growth of timber,
which lead him to believe that growing
timber will pay. L have found trees l35
years old 81 inches in diameter on the
stump, that cut over six thousand feet
of merchantable lumber. The annual
growth showed these trees were "a
inches on the stump at 40 years and at
that time should cut 900 feet of lumber.
From my observations, extending over
several sections of timber, 100 trees 16
to Is inches in diameter can be grown
on each acre in 40 years and these will
make 10000 feet of merchantable lum-
Der; these same trees will cut $4,000
feet at the end of 125 years. The
question is, What will be the value of
this 10000 feet of timber grown on an
acre III 40 years or the $4,000 feet
grown on an acre in l25 years! | will
hazard guess that 10000 feet of
standing timber will be worth So per
| thousand in 40 years, and that an acre
of land planted to fir trees will earn $6
per year for the entire period not
counting the small trees that can be
taken out and utilized for wood, posts
and poles during the 40 years.
do not think there is any use to
which we can put our mountainous,
rocky, logged-off lands that will yield
as much wealth, though to the indi.
vidual 40 years is long time to wait
for harvest, but not long to the state
or nation.
To my mind, the phase of the ques-
tion that presents the most serious diff
culties is the problem of taxation. |
have no hesitation in saying that our
present system of taxation, particularly
regarding growing timber, is all wrong.
| do not propose to discuss the matter
as to whether the timber interests have
paid too much or too little of the taxes
IN the past or at the present time, but
system that does not tax the growing
crops of the farmer the gardener, or
| the fruit grower, and taxes the growing
crop of timber over and over, and at a
rate that will confseate the entire crop
IN 80 to 30 years, when it takes from
40 to 100 years to raise this crop, is GER
tainly open to valid objection. As a
substitute for our present system of
taxing timber, based on values, / would
advocate cutting tax to be paid when
the timber is cut; portion Of this tax
to be set aside to bear the expense of
reforestation by the state; and por.
ton to pay the expense of protecting
our present forests from fire and depre,
dation.
l shall not attempt in this article to
enter into the details of such scheme.
| am told on good authority that rails
ing trees by the state or national gov
ernment pays in European countries If
SO, why not here on our western coast,
where the conditions are almost ideal
Concluded next week)