Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-06-03
HOW TO PROTECT
AMERICAN FORESTS
Continued from page six.)


reasonable number or new trees IN
keeping with the dimensions of the
parent tree, as indicated by the size
of stump remaining. There is up
wards of two million acres of red
wood forest growth in California, and
this is all there is in the United
States, yet the Federal Government
has made no move toward acquiring
the redwood ,cut-over lands (Which
no doubt could be had at small cost
to carry out the greatest field of
forestry that ever did, or ever will
exist, at least on the Pacific Coast.
A striking example of the re-for-
esting powers of redwood tree
growth is found at Mill Valley just
across (via Sausilito) from San Fran
cisco. Here can be found stumps
evidencing the removal of the parent
tree and its conversion into lumber
since the whites settled in and about
San Francisco Bay, or say fifty
years, yet another very substantial
forest growth now stands around
these old stumps of sufficient size
for another log harvest, and it has
been abundantly demonstrated that
fire must put forth its greatest ener-
gies before the green redwood tree is
damaged to any considerable extent.
In fact the wood seems to have great
fire resisting elements, so much so
that in actual milling operations it is
common practice to burn immediate
ly following the falling of desirable
sized tract, for the purpose of remov-
ing the limbs and other off-fall for
convenience in prosecuting and log
ging. Yet the principles and meth
ods of practical forestry as herein
advocated as good for the Sugar and
White Pine forests, also applies to-
the Redwood forests, although the
proportional expense to carry on such
forestry work would be very much
greater in the redwood belt until a.
clearing or cleaning has once been
made, as the log growth is about
double to the acre that of pine, but
much of the downed and deadened
timber would have a commercial
value, as it takes many years for de-
cay to eliminate and make valueless
this kind of wood.
Now reference is made herein of
certain illustrations to in a manner
bear out the practical side of the
forestry question, such illustrations
being numbered as follows:
Number one being the result Of
unusual and extra hazard that could
have been prevented before the dam
age by tn eremoval of the cause,
which was foreign to the tree itself.
This tree no doubt was burned
through the bark a number OF years
age by the removal of the cause,
rolling against it, and thereafter
burned subsequent fires burning the
pitch that had oozed out on the
origintl fire wound, and so on year
after year until finally cut off almost
as though done with an axe. Note
particularly the bark on this fallen
tree, as no fire damage appears ex-
cept at the burned butt, nor was
limb even charred.
Number two indicates a condition
absolutely free from danger in 50
far as fire is concerned.
Number three shows off-fall that
should be removed by the servant
fire.
Numbers four and five show
combination of fire and the "shake
pirate. The pirate in this case, as
is usually the case, doing the most
damage, as this particular tree was
able to support itself for years to
come in spite of it's damaged condi-
tion. The fires of years (per
chance centuries) cutting little by
little into it under like conditions AS
described in illustration numbered
one. Note that this fire damage oe-
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