Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-07-15
BETTER THAN MINES
OREGON's TIMBER WEALTH EX-
SEEDS CURRENCY OF NATION.
All This Money Must Come to State
Within Next Thirty or Forty
Years.

All This Money Must Come to State
Within Next Thirty or Forty
Years.
| Beyond question, the greatest nat
ural endowment of Oregon is the un-
surpassed wealth stored up in the Won
derful forests of the state. oregon
has approximately three hundred bill
ion feet of standing merchantable tim
Der. This is not an idle guess, but it
| is the average of the estimates of Gov
ernment officials, cruisers and timber
experts who have traversed the entire
state and made the matter thorough
study This is a much greater amount
than is possessed by any other state in
the Union, and is nearly one-sixth of
the total amount of standing mer-
chantable timber in the United States.
| Commercially, the value of the stand
| ing timber of Oregon when manufact-
ured into lumber and sold at the rate
of $12 per thousand would be $S,60O,-
600, 900, a sum in excess of the total
amount of currency in the United
States at the present time. The most
densely timbered area in the state is
west of the Cascade Range. This is due
to more humid conditions, favorable
to rapid and abundant development OF
plant life. Thus we find that 80 per
cent of the total stand of timber is
found on an area which is so per cent
of the total area of the state. The av-
erage stand of timber on the forested
area west of the Cascade Range is
1900 feet B. M. per acre. Local
tiles where the stand is $1,000 feet pei
acre for entire townships are COM
mon; as in portions of Clatsop, Tilla-
nook, Polk, and other coast counties
Several sections have been found
where 10000 feet per acre was es-
timated. Such amounts seem large tt
the novice, but to the logger who finds
many trees scaling 10000 feet or more
of commercial timber, and who is ac'
customed to cutting several such trees
on an acre, these figures not only seen
rational and reasonable, but often are
considered too small to place before
the public. Let it be understood tina
Oregon is not lacking in hardwood
Fully per cent of the merchantahl'
: woods of this state is hard. Oregon
ash, oak, maple and myrtle are re
garded by cabinet-makers and manu-
facturers as extremely valuable ant
important
Douglas Fir Predominates.
Douglas fir, the most valuable tre'
of the Pacific Coast, and one of TIN
. worlds greatest trees, is the dominat
, ing species Whether from the point o
view of utility, commercial value
adaptability to climate, age in tn
worlds history, or as resource need
full to civilization in the future, thi
tree holds a royal position in the veg
etable kingdom.
Douglas fir furnishes 80 per cent o
the merchantable timber west of tn
Cascades, and Sc per cent of the tota
timber of the state. 1t is extremely val
! liable for heavy construction, dimen
sion, ties, piling, lumber, lath, floor
} ing, masts, spars furniture, barrels
railway cars, shipbuilding, veneerine
, admirably adapted for the manufact
ure of all agricultural implements, ex
cept those requiring great tensil
strength. An important industry
bound to develop in the future in tn
manufacture of turpentine, pyrolig
neous acid, rosin and other product
0 from the pitchy stumps of this tree. I
a the United States Governments test
of the strength of the principal Amer
. lean woods 1t has been found that Ore
J. gon fir is stronger than oak under
e gradual load.
Hemlock Is Valuable,
I Western hemlock, that valuable bu
. little appreciated tree, furnishes on
l of the most beautiful soft finishin
woods in existence, and constitutes
> per cent of Oregon timber, 1t Is er
tirely different from its Eastern &C
gener, being free from the objection
:. able qualities which have put Easter
a hemlock in bad odor. 1t is the bei
commercial wood known that will RI
i, sist the ravages of the Philippine whit
- ant, and hence is valuable for man
purposes in the islands. The giant tid'
u water spruce, Oregon's largest tire
which grows upward of 20 feet In d
n ameter, furnishes another 5 per Gel
2. of the states available supply OF tin
d ber In the extensive coast belt fo
i est which it forms, it is an ideal lun
ber tree, being free from limbs for
, greater part of its height. Is 1t Sc
a dom found more than so miles inlan
The largest tree Of this species know
TO science stands I'm Gods Valley {
the North Nehalem River, Clatso
county. Oregon forests contain
distinct species of pine. Chief amor
these is the yellow or white pine
Eastern oregon. This forms fully
l. per cent OF the timber Of the stat
The famous sugar pine of SoutheI
"a Oregon forms per cent OF the me
, chantable timber OF the state. Tn
and the tidewater spruce are now r
: garded as the best available subst
tutes for the rapidly disappearir
white pine Of the Eastern states.
Ie OregOn's Lumber Industries.
y The lumber Industry at the preset
time is one OF Oregon's chief sourc
r, OF revenue. The output Of sawed lun
3. ber for 1906 was 2.500. 100000 fee
a valued at $40. 100000. The output
other forest products. such as pilin
poles. cord wood, shingles. ties, et'
brought the total value Of produc
= given 20 the world by oregon's fores
/, In 1906 up to the sum OF 100000
= While this was the banner year, lse
. Ises and 1903 nearly equal H.
, Portland. oregon, Is the largest lun
!. Der shipping port In the world Fro
the docks Of this port have been shil
ped the largest lumber cargoes ev'
recorded. The supply Of merchan
: able timber in the Eastern states n
- nrrarn