The Republican journal., 1910-11-17
National Forest Fire Damage


rough estimate of the fire loss upon the
National forests in Montana and north
ern 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 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, where over
reported killed or destroyed and over
$50, 900 acres burned over, and the Clear
water, where one billion feet of timber
were killed or destroyed and 300, 600 acres
burned over. On the Helena National
forest in Montana, the loss in timber is
believed to have been 500 million feet, on
the Cabinet forest 400 million, and on the
Lolo forest 300 million.
A large part Of the losses on the Occur
d'Alene, Clearwater, and Lolo were due
to what became practically one great
fire. The burn is shown on the forest
service maps as extending in north
westerly and southeastery direction from
north of Wallace, Idaho, to 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.
1t was really union of a number of
separate fires, driven to fury by the fierce
hurricane of August 26th. To the west
of the Montana boundary in the
region of this fire, lies very inaccessi-
BILE 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
way towards them, forced these parties
to seek refuge whereverit could be found,
and swept down upon the forests where
the fires were up to that time generally
well in hand. The extensive losses are
ascribed to the combination of hurricane
and lack of means to get to the fires and
put them out before the storm came On
the forests which were best equipped for
controlling fires the results achieved are
regarded as a demonstration of the eff
cacy of the fire-fghting methods en-
ployed, even under highly adverse natural
conditions.
Forester Graves believes that, as usual
y happens in the case of big fires, there
will be found to be considerable areas of
living timber within the regions now
mapped as entirely burned over. Of
necessity the figures given arc tenta-
tive, for it has been impossible to ex-
anime all the burned areas thoroughly.
As fast as possible, however, the forest
officers are locating and estimating the
bodies of timber killed but capable of
being numbered, if taken in time. There
will be an enormous quantity of fire
killed timber, both on the National for
ests and on private lands, to be disposed
of as soon as possible, since if not market
ed quickly itswill not be worth cutting at
ALL
The Department of Agriculture will
push vigorously to dispose of this fire.
killed timber AS with all other Nation
al forest timber, it will be sold on the
stump, to millmen who will lumber the
land, paying a set price per thousand
ing to whatever regulations are stipulat-
ed in the interest of the forest. Pending
the disposal of this frekilled timber,
future sales of green timber from the
National forests which were badly burn
ed last summer will probably be greatly
restricted, if not entirely suspended.
Since the amount to be disposed of is
doubtless greater than can be marketed
in any event, and since it is better for the
country that the timber should be utilized
than that it should go to waste in the
woods the price at which it will be sold
will be lower than would be asked for
the timber under ordinary circumstances.
Generally speaking, Secretary Wilson
does not regard it as wise public policy
to sell off the National forest timber ex-
cept when it is in reasonably good de-
mand, for the country is sure to need the
supply badly later on. But with the fire.
killed timber it is case of now or never.
Consequently there is an unusual opening
for lumbermen who are ready to buy
National forest stumpage at bargain
prices.
How much of the six billion feet which
was either killed or burned up in Mon
tana and northern Idaho can eventually
be salvaged, it is of course impossible to
predict. If it were all total loss, and
if its stumpage value were put at the
average price at which National forest
timber was sold last year, it would be the
equivalent of a money loss of about fif-
teen million dollars.
1t is believed that last summers fires
either burned up or killed between one
and two per cent of the total stand of
N ational forest timber. At the present