The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-02-23
STATE FORESTS.
By Professor G. W. Peavy, of the
Department of Forestry at the
Oregon Agricultural College.

department or Forestry at the
Oregon Agricultural College.
Oregon, Agricultural College, Cor
/ vallis-To the friends Of forestry in
Oregon the proposed creation of q
State Forest, by exchanging the
scattered school lands for a tract
OF timbered land within the limits
OF. one of the National Forests, is
good news. This proposed action was
advocated by Governor West in a
message to the last legislature. 1t
has taken definite shape in a bill
introduced by Representative Haw.
ley in the Congress of the United
States.
When the National Forests were
created by presidential proclamation
the title to the school lands lying
within the boundaries of the forests
did not pass to the federal govern
ment but remained vested in the
states. These lands may be sold
+ by the state or may be exchanged
with the federal government !. for
equal areas of public land outside
the National Forests Since the iso-
lated sections of school lands in the
forests will, as rule, be of small
value to individuals for many years
to come, it appears to be matter
OF good business on the part of the
state to secure solid body of tim
Der in lieu of them. When it is un-
derstood that the state still holds
title to more than 10000 acres of
forest land, it is very clear that
Oregon is in possession of the posi-
bility of valuable forest property.
The native timber on tract of
the size indicated above could be
sold by the state and logged off by
the purchasers as definite business
proposition. The young stuff could
be protected to form the basis of a
future crop of timber, while old
burns and waste places could be
brought into use by sowing tree
seeds or by planting young stuff. In
other words, this tract of land could
be so handled as to be made a
source of revenue to the state for
all time
Eventually, when the lands of the
state become classified through use
or by experts in the employ of the
state, the areas which are more val
liable for timber production will
surely be devoted to that purpose as
certainly as agricultural lands will
be dedicated to tillage. When that
time approaches the state of Oregon
will, unquestiopably, take steps to
acquire lands chiefly valuable for
the production of timber and to put
| the lands to that use. Before the
state becomes the proprietor of for
est lands on large scale it would
be wise thing for the people to
acquire proficiency in the methods
| of handling wood lands scientifically
Like scientific agriculture, scientific
forestry is an exacting profession.
The problems to be solved are intri-
cate. But, unlike agriculture, for
estry demands a long period for the
determination of satisfactory conclu-
sions. A crop of corn or potatoes
natures in a year. A crop of tim
Der requires half century or more.
Hence, the state lands Of Oregon
should possess timbered area in
which the various problems, incident
to forestry In this region, can be
worked out. For example, we must
know the best methods Of replacing
the forest on burned over areas,
whether by seed sowing or by plant
ing seeding trees and the methods
| to be employed in each case; the
species of tree to grow on certain
situations; the time at which the
crop should be harvested in order
that the largest amount of wood per
year may be produced in different
locations.
In addition to the solution of these
problems, the state should have a
means of training men in forestry
by actual work in the woods. The
people of Oregon, very wisely, are
seeking to work out agricultural
problems by the establishment OF ex
pertinent stations in different local.
lties. The forest resources OF the
state are second only to those Of
agriculture and the proper handling
of the forest crop is OF as vital IN
lterest to the state as the proper
handling of agricultural crops, and
| the state should be equally con
cerned in seeing to it that the great
est value possible is obtained from
| this immense property. The 1ncreas
ling demands for timber, together with
+ the exhaustion of the supply in other
regions of the United States, point
to the concentration OF the timber
demand on the Pacific Northwest
within few years. We should be
prepared, not only to harvest oul
great timber crop to the best ad
Vantage, but we should also be IN
a position to provide for a future
Icrop when the present magnificent
natural resource is gone.
State forests are not novelty II
i this country. Already many of the
Eastern states have begun the acqui
Isition OF forest lands, in many cases
paying private owners more for cut
lover lands than the same lands were
originally sold for by the Fedora
IGovernment. New York, for exam
pIe. has become possessed OF more
than q million and half acres O
forests, an area which that common
wealth proposes to manage for tne
Wise to stick 70 Them.
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