The Colorado statesman., 1914-01-31
YELLOW PINE TIMBER
BILLION FEET SOLD FROM kAi-
6Ae NATIONAL FOREST.
In Order to Get Timber Out II viii Be
Necessary to Build Railroad
200 Miles Long.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
shington.-Secretary of Agricul-
ture Houston has approved the dis
posal of one billion feet of western
yellow pine timber from the Kaibab
national forest in northern Arizona.
In order to get this timber out it will
be necessary to build a railroad ap-
proximately 200 miles long. Such a
railroad will connect Colorado and
Utah with the world-famous Grand
canyon of the Colorado which hither-
to has been accessible only from the
south.
For several years the construction
of such a railroad has been considered
by various capitalists, but it has been
stated that the lack of assured imme-
diate traffic was an effectual barrier.
1t is pointed out, however, that a con-
tract for a billion feet of timber will
overcome this difficulty by providing
a commodity for transportation which,
together with tourist and local traffic,
will place the project on a paying
basis practically from the outset.
Chief Forester Henry S. Graves
made a personal examination on the
ground. and this examination supple
mented by the reports of his forest
engineers, induced him to recommend
the sale of such large body of tim
ber in order that the country might
be developed through the supplying of
this resource. Mr.. Graves, says, how
ever, that the Kaibab forest is one of
| ha f,,1 In
gives assurance that the marketing of
the mature crop of timber will not be
allowed to mar the scenic beauty of
the region.
In accordance with the timber sale
policy of the government the stump
age will be disposed of to the highest
bidder. In order to attract suffi-
cient investment to assure the build
ing of the railroad and Of the neces-
sary lumber mills at least billion
feet of timber had to be offered. The
investment necessary to make this
timber accessible will amount to more
than sS,OO0,O00 BY placing this guam
tity of timber before the lumbermen
of the country the officials of the for
est service believe that the develop
ment of extensive areas in southern
Utah may be looked for, because the
necessary railway will render access
ible resources which have heretofore
been undeveloped. The whole region
is rich in agricultural land, in cattle
and shep range, and in coal and cop
per deposits, as well as in timber.
Bids for the timber will be received
up to the middle Of June, 1914, and
three years will be allowed for the
building of the railroad and mills, and
twenty-five years for the cutting of
the timber. The stumpage rates, how
ever, will be readjusted at the end Of
each five-year period Of the contract,
the readjustments being based on the
then current lumber prices.
BY the end of the contract period,
the forest officers say, the young trees
left on the area first cut over will
be ready for cutting, so that by the
system of numbering which the gov
ernment will require, operations can
continue permanently in this lumber
belt. The annual cut will be not less
than forty million feet, most of which
will be readily sold in the large con-
suming lumber markets in Utah and
Colorado.
The Kaibab forest is one of the
most heavily timbered in the South
west, the stand of timber being broken
only occasionally by beautiful mead
ows or openings locally known as
parks. Lumbermen who have visited
it consider the country ideally adapt
ed to logging. There are, altogether,
two billion feet of timber, OF which
more than one billion feet are mature
| and ready for cutting.