The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1947-06-12
Spokane Party
Sees NeiIs Co.
Woods Work
Ralph EdgertOn Heads the
Group Which Visits Five
Mile, BristOw and Jackson
FOREST PRACTICES
PLEASE TIMIBERMEN

.
To-day we have seen a big log
cling outfit conducting its operation:
in a manner that is the fulfillmeni
of a forester's dream"
Thus spoke Hanley Morse, fores-
ter for the Western Pine Assocla-
ton. last Saturday evening at the
J. Neils logging camp in Warland
The occasion was the 18th annual
field tour of the Timber Products
division of the Spokane Chamber OF
Commerce, at which time some for
ty members of the group were en-
tertained by the Libby Chamber OF
Commerce, the j. Neils Lumber
Company and the Kootenai National
Forest Service.
The group left Spokane Saturday
morning, reaching Warland on the
100 o. m. passenger train. Here the
men were met by delegation rep
resenting the host groups, and taken
in school buses driven by Joe Pom
delick and Ernest Wood to the load
ing operations site of the ]. Nells
Company on Five Mile Creek north
east of Warland. At this place the
party viewed the latest and best
methods of handling heavy logs IN
the woods. Discussions of the work,
forest management methods prac-
ticed by the company in cooperation
with the forest service, and the pro-
posed Sustained Yield plan were
given BY Bob Neils and Walter Neils
of the company. After all had been
given an ample opportunity to view
the loading operations, the party was
taken to an area farther up the val
lev which is timbered by larch, and
had been logged according TO APP
proved practices in 1928. Here
the results of the practical working
of selective cutting we're pointed out
bv another representative of the
Neils Company, Mark Schoanetht.
Following the visit 10 the larch
area, the group was taken by oas
I'D q logging road to level some
one thousand or 1900 feet higher on
the east side of Five Mile where 1t
was shown a POnderosa pine sec
ton that is in the process Of being
logged at present, Much film was
shot" by the kodak fans when
spotted fawn hidden by its mother.
was seen near the road on the way
up to the yellow pine area. The lit
tie fellow, entirely surrounded by
the interested group, lay motionIess
except for heavy breathing and the
blinking of its eyes, while the men
admired it from a distance and took
pictures.
The visit to the high Ponderosa
pine section completed the field OBJ
servations for the afternoon and the
party returned to the Company.
camp at Warland where the custo-
mary fine dinner left the visitors
too full for much utterance, and
wishing for more capacity.
President Paul Church Of the
Libby Chamber of Commerce called
the group to order at 800 o'clock in
the Neils Dining Hall, and after
few remarks, introduced Pete Han
son, Missoula, Regional forester IN
charge of Region One. Mr.. Hanson
gave a short, interesting talk, stat
ing that only 10 per cent of the viz
gin forest in the United States Is
left west of the Great Plains: he
added that two-thirds of the timber
lands of Montana and Idaho nave
been cut over. Following Mr.. Han
sons remarks, Forest Supervisor
w. C. Guernsey of the Kootenal
National Forest, was called upon,
and gave a very interesting sum-
mary of the Kootenai Forests re-
sources, explaining in detail as he
had three weeks previous to the
Libby Chamber, the percentages OF
the various species of timber con-
tanned in the forest, the amounts OF
timber in the area controlled by the
forest service, the State Of Montana.
J. Neils and other Arrangements. he
also gave an explanation of the pro-
posed Sustained Yield plan, and an
swered the many questions asked by
members of the visiting lumber
group
forester, Missoula, in charge Of tim
Der management, was also called
upon for remarks and gave a short
talk.
Walter Neils, vice president of the
! Neils Lumber Company, was m
troduced and gave an interesting
history of the company. Mr.. Nells
stated the J. Neils Lumber Company
was founded May 2, 1888 at Sank
Rapids, Mimi, which said the speak
er, els a very easy date for me 70
keep in mind, as it was the date OF
my birth" The company was lncor-
porated in 1895 under the laws OF
Minnesota. In 1911 the Neils Com
pany came 10 Libby, buying out
the old Libby Lumber Co. The cut
here at Libby, stated the speaker
runs from IS to SO million board
feet annually. The company esta-
blished its plant at Klickatat, Wash,
in 1922.
Mr.. Walter Neils has served as
general manager of the Libby plant
since his discharge from the army
in 1919. The company. remarked the
speaker, has practiced selective log
ging for the past seven years. he
also stated that in the event OF tne