Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-31
VAST ACREAGE
OF T|MbERLAND
IN The STATE
Interesting Figures Given
on the Classification of
Lands in Idaho and Their
Locations.

odA1uS III 4Ud1lO d1lU IlclI
Locations.
Amount Owned by Govern
ment, State and Private
Interests-Greatest Mer-
camille Stand in Counties
North of Clearwater.
1t Is said the state of Idaho has no
definite information as to it's timber
holdings. The following, being answers
by an authority, unofficial, throws
light upon that important matter:
What portion of Idaho is forest land ,
This is hard to answer, but, including
merchantable and non merchandise
timber, and based more or less on de-
duction, WOULD SAY 40 PER CENT
OF ITS AREA. On a merchantagle
timber basis no deduction could be
made FOR THE REASON THAT THE
STATE DOES NOT YET KNOW
WHAT TIMER is ON IT'S COMMON
SCHOOL LANDS IN SECTIONS Is
AND S6. but doubt very much If over
half of the suggested 40 per cent would
be merchantable, say 25 per cent
In what section or counties are the
heaviest forests. Here again you have
not drawn a difference between mer-
charitable and non merchantable. In
the counties north of the Clearwater is
by far the greatest merchantable
cha fol nj
non merchantable the answer might
probably be those counties lying west
of the Bitter Root mountains, or Ida
no. Montana line. In answering those
questions / am only referring to stands
of coniferous trees as We have prac-
tically no deciduous trees in Idaho.
The merchantable trees are, in the
point Of their merchantable value, the
white pine, western yellow pine, red
Cor Douglas) fir cedar, tamarack
spruce, (our spruce is much inferior
and not to be compared to the coast
spruce), hemlock white fir and lodge
pole pine. In the higher mountains the
stand Is principally lodgepole pine,
spruce. white fir and aspen. of no value
except as water shed protection.
DIVISION OF OWNERSHIP.
What percentage of Idaho forest
lands is owned by (a) the federal gov
eminent. (b). the state. Co private
interests.
(a) The area of the national forests
in Idaho was June 1, 1917 given as
l7,644,413 acres; and Indian and park
reservations as 705,S99 acres. OBJ The
total of state and private lands, same
date. was given as 1S,721,729 acres.
This included all classifications of
land. (c) The state tax rolls of 1917
show 10.440,030 acres of private lands,
all classifications, and shows 1.S49, 035
acres of privately owned timber. This
l think could be safely increased 90
per cent, and grazing lands decreased
accordingly, as a result of the well
known tendency of most assessors to
overlook John Jones 40 acres or to call
1t pasture land. / should say that the
above represents mostly the company
and larger holdings, and that the item
of private owned timber land in Idaho
would be close to 2.250,00O acres. This
would seem to indicate the state
owned acreage to be about 5000, 900
acres.
However, the state has record of only
about 66S,0S0 acres of special grant
and 5S9,S50 acres of common school lieu
lands and 100000 acres more to be
clearlisted, this would leave, according
to the table inserted hereafter, some
100000 acres of land to be accounted
for by sections 16 and SO of common
school lands. This again must be re-
duced by the acreage of all the various
entries of public domain not yet
passed to title and not yet on the tax
roll. So that the answer to OBJ can
only be given by estimate at present
The state officials claim that the total
of state land holdings. including spe-
cial grant. indemnity and common
school, will be about 3,S50,O00 acres ul-
timately. OF this probably one-fourtn
is merchantable timber land.
LAND CLASSIFICATION.
The classification of lands in Idaho
Is as follows: Public domain, 1921
273; private and state lands, 1879
1863; national forests, 17,644.413; In
dian parks and reservations, 1893;
total area. 53,346,560.
Private and state lands estimated
as 1S,799.169, less 2.007,930 special
grant and lieu school lands, and 10,-
100000 acres returned on 1917 assess
ment roll, would leave about 6,450, 900
acres to be accounted for by lands
under entry but not yet on the tax
roll, and some 1,s51,209 acres of COM
mon school land.
eoISE-PAYETTE SECOND.
Number of sawmills of consequence
and names of a few. say four or five of
II ho lor