Historic Scrle Of Pine Timber ln Ccrlifornio

On January 27, 1954, rvhat u'as no doubt one of the l>iggest timber sales in history was closed in Los Angeles, California. The Fruit Growers Supply Company, which is the industrial end of "Sunkist," sold to the McCloud River Lumber Company, of McCloud, California, 1,500,000,00O feet of virgin pine timber on 82,000 acres of land in Shasta Count1., California from the famous Burney Tract.

The announcement of the transaction does not mention the money involved, but based on the present price of pine in that area, the total might well be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, money sales of standing timber in history.

There is likervise a large amount of standihg Fir timber on the same land rvhich is not involved in the sale, but renrains tl.re property of Fruit Grorvers Supply Company. This concern announces that it has under consideration the building of a plant at Burney, California, for the lnanu- facture of a neu' type of container out of their Fir. This announcement is by H. A. Lynn, presider-rt of the compally.

Albert H. Heller, manag'er, Hammond Lumber Company of Long Beach California, announced last month the expansion program of the Long Beach yard has been completed. The renovation included enlarged office space to adequately serve company customers. Complete inventories of building materials are maintained to take care of the demancl in the Long Beach area, according to Mr. Heller.

Fruit Grovvers Sirpply Company orvns and operates three big sar,vrnills located at Susanville, Hilts. ar-rd \\restl'ood. California, and is reported to still have large stands of virgin timber behind all of these mills, u'hich they l'ill continue to operate.

McCloud River Lumber Company operates one of the biggest Pine mills in the 'country at N{cCloud, California, and Leonard Carpenter, president, states that they are verY happy to secure the nerv timber and thus "prolong our California operations for many years." It is said that the timber rvill actually give the NlcCloud mill a permanent timl>er supply. The Burney tract Pine has long been considered one of the highest-quality stands of Pine in California.

Hugh Pessner, \\rest Coast Timber l)roducts Agency, San Francisco, returned to San Francisco from Chicago on February 3. During his r'r'eek trip through the Cl-ricago area, he r,l'as accompanied by Bob Mosby, sales manager of the Ukiah Pine Lumber Company. Hugh's comment upon reaching his office in San Francisco: "So you think it's cold in San Francisco? Well. let me tell votr.......... !".