The people's voice., 1958-08-15

III bY bhll ENGLO1NO, DC
Montanans in Congress have called
on the Forest Services Missoula Re-
gional office to blueprint a program
designed to fully develop Montana's
forest resources for the longtime
benefit of the state and the nation. !"
Senators Murray and Mansfield,
Congressman Metcalf and Anderson
started with Regional Forester Chas.
Tebbe because ''the pre-eminence of
national forests in Montana makes
1t sound and wise for the Forest Serv-
ice to exercise leadership in develop
ing a statewide action program in
concert with interested state and
private organizations"
Among points to be considered, the
delegation said, are type and location
OF plants; opportunities to expand
secondary manufacturing; market
potential within and beyond Montana;
supply problems that may affect ex-
lsting plants; shifts in plant locations
that may occur with forest changes
transportation, including freight
rates; new wood products, including
specialized machinery needed; forest
roads; reforestation, and timbers
sales.
Special consideration. they said,
should be given to water management
and recreation. The outline should in
clude tentative estimates of costs,
schedules and priorities for placing
phases of the plan into opera
ton, and estimates of total benefits" /"
FIRE FIGHTING FUNDS !
Appropriation bills for the current 6
fiscal year are filled with examples
IF the effective work of Montanans G
n Congress. a
Two that come quickly to mind T
lave to do with forest fires. One is O
he 100000 laboratory which will e
make Missoula the forest fire re- n
earch center of the nation. The other
5 an additional $25O,OOO for fighting n
crest fires in Alaska. Ii
Senator Murray and Congressman c
letcalf combined the two in speeches m
asst year, pointing out that every tt
ear millions of dollars worth of tt
ublic property go up in smoke, that
orest fires burn an average of one "
llllion acres of public domain in 81
laska each year. m
Assuming the timber on each acre er
worth $40, the out-of-pocket loss ar
$40 million year." Metcalf told pl
lie House. tn
Huge as it isl he went on. "the an
lsh value of the timber burned is en-
lily minor part of the loss to for
t fires. l.
'"These forests protect our water
eds when shortage of water al fol
ady limits the growth and develop ins
ent of many communities. When an
ese forests go, so does the water DC
ed. And forest fire does incalcul- Cit
lie damage to soil, mining, grazing, rec
creation, fish and wildlife. ma
"These fires bring forest manage snt
mt to standstill. Overnight there
lst be shift from long-term plan has
harvesting mature timber to i'm nee
diate salvage logging. This upsets as
'nomic balances all the way from tiol
rseryman to logger to consumer. Wi
Fires are largely responsible for any
lack of reproduction on the 73 ind
lion acres of U. S. forest land stu
v poorly stocked. Fires often Gre the
conditions which lead to a build yea
of insect or disease epidemics. And rr,
en-, worthless species of trees re- - =
ce desirable ones following fire" l
The two, and Senator Mansfield 9Ii,,'
Congressman Anderson noted LID
fully that the Administration run
get requests for this year did not Iea'
ude the fire research lab. They 'rlc
1t after the lab-with Senator
1sfield making the case before QUt
Appropriations Committee &C
got it-at the same time picking with
an additional $25O,OOO for fire en-
lection on public lands in Alaska. REF
ON RANGE s~f N- -
the time of writing, the Senate
cleared for the President Con- Pu
sman Metcalf's bill to add a Vol
acre display pasture to the south