St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-08-09
VERMONT FORESTRY MEETING.
Large Gathering OF Men Interested In
TimberIands of Green Mountain
State Gather at LyndOnville.
Especial to The Caledonian.)

Especial to The Caledonian.)
Lyndonville, August "A large
number of prominent cumberland
owners and those interested in the
conservation of Vermont's forests
gathered here this afternoon and eve
ming to attend the annual meeting of
the Vermont Forestry association.
There were a large number of ex-
cement. speakers, including R. w.
Brown, the state forester, Theodore
N. Vail and several others.
At a meeting of the state fire ward
ems this afternoon Mr.. Brown gave
ve-- interesting address on stand
ing 11mber Insurance"
The address follows:
Until recently there has been little
or no insurance offered on standing
timber in the United States and no
formulated opinion on the subject.
LIoyds of London, the first company
known to have offered standing tim
Der insurance in Canada, placed it on
excess loss over a given amount on
separate limited tracts, or in other
words, the owner was the initial CO.
insurer to a large extent on his own
land, Lloyds merely taking the addi-
tional risk over and above a stated
amount on various restricted areas.
The Phoenix Insurance Company OF
London in their Pacific Coast De-
partment this year is offering linn
tied line on green standing fir, spruce,
cedar and pine timber in Oregon and
Washington west of the summit or
the Cascade Mountains, on prear-
ranged stumpage value, to owners at
from 1 to IL %, and to bond holders
at from n to q 90, over a full season.
Such timber must be accessible to
market, not unduly exposed, and only
one risk is taken in certain zones or
fire areas established by the company.
No risk greater than $17,500 is writ
ten in any one fire area. The rate
of 1870 is made up of Il of 20 for
the wet, and 1 Il % for the dry season
for which part no return premium is
payable, and it is interesting to note
that 70 % is taken off of all premiums
for approved patrol.
Formerly when old line insurance
companies were approached for
standing timber insurance they in
variably shook their heads and men
toned the great amount of capital
tied up in timber, the vast reserves
necessary to cover such values, the
danger of a general conhagration, the
UTy S0dSO1, anu 40OION
from some exaggerated newspaper
report, and stated that in their judg-
ment such insurance would be haz-
ardous in the extreme and require an
unreasonable rate. On the other
hand timber bonding houses and
large owners who had gone many
years without suffering serious loss,
asserted there was no unreasonable
danger, provided the tracts were well
scattered and of sufficient extent, and
large bodies of timber insured them
selves. Small owners instituted as
much protection as possible and took
their chances of complete loss.
No accurate data existed as to the
location, extent and damage done by
fire, and almost no organized protec-
ton existed. Meanwhile estimates
made by newspaper reporters were
taken in the popular minds as actual
facts. To meet these conditions the
United States Forestry Department in
1905 commenced the scientific adj
ministration of public lands and in
cluded adequate fire protection and
Forestry Departments followed its
lead, and private fire protection as
sociations sprang up, the first organ
lied in the Pacific Northwest six
years ago, and 80 or more else
where throughout the Union. Rail-
road cooperation was secured. Pro-
tective laws were passed and en-
forced. A campaign of public edu-
cation was carried on and field meth
DDS improved. Accurate statistics
were gathered as to the causes of
fires and at what points they were
liable to occur, what proportion of
the values were being consumed each
year, and how fires could be mini
mized and in a measure foreseen and
anticipated. The compilation of this
data has led the writer to believe that
the present loss by fire in standing
timber, is apparently not any greater
than that in other forms of property,
and that insurance in some instances
is desirable on standing tim Der, and
the gathering of statistics. State
that an Inter-Insurance Association
among owners can now be formed
and be both economical, successful
and beneficial.
Without going too much into the
dry details the writer will sketch his
reasons for his opinion that timber is
insurable and the principles on which
such an Inter-Insurance -Association
should be founded.
ISl, There Is DIT manu- uN0 years
of fairly accurate data collected by
the agencies above, which show on an
average a loss in value of less than
II of 10, and this average loss
through increased protection is con-
stantly diminishing. For the ~
Western private forest protection as
sociations amalgamated under the
management of Mr.. E. T. Allen, and
which cover an area of 100000
acres, there has been spent yearly
about 100000, or nine-tenths Of a
cent per acre per year, and as to the
average annual loss 1 will read you
letter received from Mr.. Allen:
Il have your inquiry of April 25th.
About all 1 can do is to compute the
feet of merchantable timber destroy
ed with very rough estimate of the
total stand under protection, which
in Dprc1ntaPa would annlV ahOnt