Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1910-11-11
FOREST FIRE LOSS IS
ABOUT $15,OOO,OOO

A rough estimate of the FIRE loss
upon the national forests in Mon
tana and northern Idaho, upon
which the forest officers Of the U.
s. Department of agriculture have
been engaged since the fires were
put out. puts the total amount of
timber killed or destroyed in this
one district at over 9 billion board
feet, while the area burned over is
put at over and one'quarter mil
lion acres. N
The heaviest losses were in two
Idaho forests, the Occur d'Alene,
where over three billion board feet
of timber are reported killed or
destroyed and over 450 thousand
acres burned over, and the Clear.
water, where billion feet of tim
ber were killed or destroyed and
800 thousand acres burned over.
On the Helena national forest, in
Montana, the loss in timber is be-
lieved to have beens5oO million feet,
on the Cabinet forest, 400 million
feet, and on the Lolo forest 800
million.
A large part Of the losses on the
Occur dAlene, Clearwater, and
Lolo were due to what became
practically one great fire. The
burn is shown on the forest service
maps as extending in a northwest
erly aud southeasterly direction
from north of Wallace, Idaho, to a
point some 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.
On the forests which were best
equipped for controlling fires the
results achieved are regarded as a
demonstration Of the efficacy of the
fire-fghting methods employed,
even under highly adverse natural
conditions.
Forester Graves believes that, az
usually happens in the case of big
fires, there will he found to be con.
siderable areas of living timber
within the regions now mapped ~
entirely burned over. Of necessi.
ty, the figures given are tentative,
for it has been impossible to exam
Inc all the burned areas thoroughly
However, the forest officers are 10.
eating and estimating the bodies oi
timber killed but capable of being
numbered, if taken in time. There
will be an enormous quantity Of
fire-killed timber, both on the ma
tional forests and on private lands
to be disposed of as soon IS possible
since If not marketed quickly 1t vii
not be worth cutting at all.
The department of agriculture
win push vigorously to dispose O
this fire-killed timber. AS with al
other National forest timber, /
will be sold on the stump, to mill
men who will lumber the land, pay
ing act price per thousand boar'
feet for the timber, and conforming
to Whatever regulations are atipu
lated IN the interest of the forest
Pending the disposal of. this IRE
killed timber. future sales of gree
timber from the national forest
which were badly burned last sum
mer will probably be greatly n
strieted, If not entirely suspended
How much of the 6 billion fe'
which was either killed or burne
up In Montana and northern ldah
can eventually be salvaged It is
course impossible to predict. If
were all a total loss, and if !
stumpage value were put at the q
erage price ut which national fore
!. @lmber was sold last year, it won
be the equivalent of a money 10
Of about fifteen million dollars.
Il is believed that last summe
fires either burned up or killed b
tween one and TWO per cent of
total stand of national forest Il
Der. AT the present rate of cuttl
from the natioual forests, 6 bill
feet is equal TO y years supp
but it is less than one-slxth OF
single years cut in the entire co.
try, or enough to keep aii our II
Der mills busy for something M