The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-11-04
NATIONAL FOREST FIRE DAM.
AGE IN MONTANA AND IDAHO

forest officers of the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture have been en-
gagged since the fires were put out,
puts the total amount of timber kill
ed or destroyed in this one district at
over six billion board feet, while the
area burned over is put at over one
and one-fourth million acres.
The heaviest losses were in two
Idaho forests, the Occur d'Alene, in
which over three million board feet
of timber are reported killed or de-
stroyed, and over $50 thousand acres
burned over, and the Clearwater,
where billion feet of timber were
killed or destroyed and 800 thous-
and acres burned over. On the Hell
ena National Forest. in Montana. the
loss in timber is believed to have
been 500 million feet, on the Cabinet
forest 400 million feet, and on the
Lolo forest 500 million feet
A large part of the forest fire
water, and Lolo were due to what
became practically one great fire. The
burn is shown on the Forest Service
maps as extending in a northw ester-
ly and southeasterly direction from
north of Wallace, Idaho, to a point
80 miles southwest of. Missoula,
Mont, or nearly 100 miles At its
widest point this burn has width of
about 40 miles, but its shape is very
irregular.
1t was really a union of a number
of separate fires, driven to fury by
the fierce hurricane of August 90, To
| the west of the Idaho-Montana boun-
Diary in the region of this fire lies
very inaccessible mountainous
| country, into which, on account Of
the absence of trails and of forage.
| it was almost impossible for forces
of fire fighters to penetrate. When
the hurricane arose it drove the fires
| upon the parties which were hewing
a way towards them, forced these
parties to seek refuge wherever il
could be found, and swept down up
no the forests where the fires were up
to that time generally we'll in hand.
| The extensive losses are ascribed to
the combination of hurricane and the
| lack OF means to get to the fires and
| hnf ~+1
On the forests which We're best equip.
ped for handling the fires, there will
be found to be considerable areas OF
living timber within the regions
now mapped as entirely burned over
VI necessity, the figures given are
tentative, for it has been impossible
to examine all the burned area,
thoroughly. AS fast as possible, how
ever, the forest officers are locatins
and estimating the bodies Of timber
Killed. but capable of being numbered
if taken in time
| There will be an enormous uuan
| tity Of fire-killed timber. both OF
the National forest and on privat,
lands, to be disposed of as soon a.
possible. since if not marketed yer,
soon will not be worth cutting a
all.
The Department of Agricultur,
will push vigorously to dispose o
this fire killed timber. AS with al
lother National Forest timber, it will
be sold on the stump, to mill-me,
who will lumber the land, paying
set price per thousand board feet TO
the timber and conforming to what
ever regulations are stipulated in tn,
interest Of the forest. Pending tn.
disposal of this fire killed timber, flu
ture sales of green timber from tn,
National Forest which were badl,
burned last summer will probably b,
greatly restricted, if not entirely sus
pended.
Since the amount to be disnosed O
is doubtless more than can be mar
keted in any event, and since it il
better for the country that the tim
Der should be utilized than that i
should go to waste in the woods, tn,
price at which it will be sold will
be lower than would be asked TO
the timber under ordinary circum
stances. Generally speaking, Secre
tary Wilson does not regard it as
wise public policy to sell off the Ma
honal forest timber except when i
is in reasonably good demand, TO
the country is sure to need the sup
iply badly later on. But with tn,
tire-killed timber it is a case of nov
or never. Consequently there is al
unusual opening for lumbermen VINO
bare ready to buy National Fores
stumpage at a bargain.
Il How much of the billion fee
which was either burned up or kill
ed in Montana and northern Idaho
ran avantuallv ha calvaCad ic n