Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1916-12-08
AS, POLK COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1916
Y|EWSSHOWRES
OREGON HAS A WONDERFUL
STAND OF TIMBER.
Dallas People See Colored Pictures
of State Greatest Asset. Learn
More About Its Care.

A good-sized crowd of Dallas peo
pie were well repaid for turning ou
to the high school auditorium OF
Wednesday night when $50 colore
views of Oregon forests, forest fire
and forest protection work wer
shown under the auspices of the Poll
County Fire Protective association
The pictures, which are the propert,
OF the state board of forestry, wer,
shown by State Forester +. A. Elliot
and his assistant, O. E. Siecke, O
Salem, and lecture in connection
with their showing was given by W
V. Fuller, district warden, and heat
OF the Polk county patrol The view.
were some Of the finest ever showr
in Dallas, and there was considerable
favorable comment passed ON them by
an interested audience. The lecture
was given as part of the educational
policy of the association for the pre-
vention of forest fires.
Among some facts given in connec-
tion with the pictures by Mr.. Fuller
were the following. Oregon has twice
the timber of all New England, New
York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wis
consin and Minnesota combined. II
has twice the timber of the central
hard woods region, extending from
southern Michigan to Southern Ten
nesee and as much timber as all of
the United States east of the Rocky
mountains and north of the southern
pine belt. 1t has one-sixth of the
stumpage of the entire United States,
or 430 billion feet, which has stand
ing value of $3.50, 100000. When man.
ufactured the timber of Oregon will
be worth $6,800,0O0,O0O.
"Oregon lumber industry is only
in its infancy" stated Mr.. Fuller,
"yet it employs $4,000 men, or one
half of those engaged in manufacture
ing industries in the state. If the
timber Of Oregon was all manufactur-
ed at once and loaded onto cars. for
shipment it would make a train reach
ing seven times around the world.
From this industry $4,000 of outside
comes into the state daily, for
80 per cent of all outgoing freight is
lumber. 100000 acres, containing
about $50 billion feet has been de-
stroyed by fire, or about one-third
the present stand"
To show the work being accom-
plished by the Fire Patrol and fire
prevention associations, Mr.. Fuller
said that in 1910 fire destroyed ST.
540,997 worth Of timber and other
In 1911 the present code
of forestry laws was enacted. This
code, added to in 1913, provides a
fire patrol law. Since
1911 the total fire loss in five years
las been less than 100000, or one
sixteenth the loss in the single season,
1910. The situation is aptly describ-
ID by one of the association IS secre-
aries, who, in his annual report, says:
'It is not alone the amount of money
expended by the association that is
for the fact that we have
uffered no loss by fire, but great
'redit must be given TO the state for
,ster for the wise educational policy
by his office. The re-
ult of this wise policy has been that,
whereas in former years people who
Iad occasion to go into the woods |
ither for business or pleasure were
very careless with fire, camp
Tres we're left burning, logging en-
ines and locomotives we're continual
Y setting out fires, and most people
ooked upon forest fires as a necessary
vii. Now, almost without exception,
is careful with fire and the
esult is that this hazard has been
edueed to a minimum.
Mr.. Fuller also explained that the
re patrol law made it imperative for
II timber owners to either patrol or
ave patroled their holdings. This
as brought a condition that works
ut admirably. For instance in Polk
ounty the federal government pays
lost of the wages Of two patrolmen,
be state pays most Of the salary of
ne district warden, and the remain
er Of the expense of the work is
orne by the Polk County Fire Pa
-ol association In the past season
iere we're in the state "a district
ardens, who haA working under
lem 333 patrolmer aId in addition
irected the work of 81 patrolmen
no were paid by the federal govern I