Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1948-02-27
F|athead Timber Cut Increases Nine-Fo|d

| FlathedQ national fOreStS EN-
ergence as one of the top produc-
ing timber areas of the region was
told by District Ranger John Cas-
ties at the Wednesday evening
meeting of Martin City's Boom
town Builders.
Ranger Castles in charge of
timber sales for the Flathead ex
planned how the annual cut had
increased from a yearly average
of 100000 board feet before the
war to the 1947 total of 80, $780,
Flathead lead all national forests
in Montana, Idaho and eastern
Washington in timber yield.
Leading timber section of the
nation continues to be Washing
ton and Oregon, with Montanas
position improving.
Though the Flathead cut this
past year was sufficient to build
all the homes in a city of 10000
people, The 2,622,737 acre forest,
fourth largest in size in the Uni
ted States, is able TO sustain an
even higher production of CO.
100000 board feet.
The audience heard the nation
al timber situation where in the
past 36 years, a per cent of all
the saw timber of the nation had
disappeared. How the annual
growth of 35 billion board feet
is being bested by an annual cut
of 81 billion board feet.
When white men first came to
the continent, one-third of the ma
ton was forest land. Ranger Cas-
les told the SIS Martin City resid-
ents, and only 1/12 of the forest
land was in the west. Today 2/3
of the nations remaining saw tim
Der is in the west. {
Lumber from this area is now
being shipped to such distant
points as Maine and Massachu-
sets.
Flathead county, somewhat lar
ger than the state of Connecticut,
is 80 per cent forest land, and
most of this is part of the ma
tional forest
Both a blessing to the preserv-
ing of national resources and
handicap to efficient logging has
been the lack of roads. However
it has prevented rapid cutting OF
timber, but is permitting the
waste of mature trees that should
be logged.
The ranger informed his aud
fence of the man hours required
to prepare a timber sale in the
national forest. He arrived at q
figure of 100 man days by trained
forest service personnel to pre-
pare 100000 board feet, which
today sells for about $4,000 as
and $1,000 as sawed
lumber loaded in freight cars rea-
dy for shipping.
The 1947 cut in the Flathead re-
presents about $2,5O0,O00 that
stayed in the county as wages,
expense of operation and profits.
Timbermen in the audience
we're especially interested in Ran
ger Castles estimate that there
was about .10,5OO,oo0 board feet
IN Emery creek to be sold this
year, and this would virtually end
South Fork timber sales until
Hungry Horse dam was complet-
ID.
An exception would be the 3d.
100000 board feet in the reser-
yoir area which will be. sold un-
Ter contract by the bureau of re-
Eighty per cent of the timber
eserve up the South Fork is or
he west side of the South Fork,
nd will become available as soon
s the dam and an access road
re completed.
numbering activity during the
ext few years will shift to the
Torth Fork and to the Tally lake
istrict The North Fork, Castles
aid, is able to sustain an annual
ut of 100000 board feet with
bout 100000 board feet to
e sold up Canyon creek this year.
However, in conclusion the
niger emphasized that with fires
nd other handicaps controlled,
lie Flathead should be able to
lstain its record yield of 1947