Perpetuation o[ Forest Resources in \(/estern Pine Region

By Ernest L Kolbe, V/estern Pine Association

Address delivered ot the B5th Annual Convention o[ the American Institute oI Architects dt Seattle, \7ash.

The timber supply picture in the 12-state Western Pine Region is a bright one, perhaps even brighter tl-ran in other regions !! Striking gains in forestry on both public and private lands have been n.rade.

Forestry progress is not generally unders.tood. The general public reaction torvards forest perpetuation is a mixture of endorsement and concern-endorsement lor the ne\\' tree-grou'ittg programs and concern as to the future. This concern undoubtedly stems from the early crusades to au'aken our nation to the neecl for forest conservation. Forty years ago there was a need for an awakening. Then, there rvas little or no i>r,tection against forest fires, insect epidemics, or tree diseases. Forty years ago there rvas very little forest uranagement, hardly any foresters, and little practical experience on how to handle 'the r,voclds. Colonel Greeley explained in some detail these early circuinstances.

IJut much has happened since those <lays. 'fhere have been some real changes. Todaf in the Western l'ine I{egion, which covers one-third of Continental United States, more than 75 percent of the 80 million acres of commercial forest lands are under long-term forestrv programs. That means that we are GROWING neu, tree crops rvhile harvesting ripe trees for lumber. We are protecting forests better from fire. We are using the harvest better. Through applied research we are creating nerv proclucts of rvood with consequent new opportunities.

In estimating our timber future u'e must never forget the simple, basic fact that TREES GRO\V. \\/hen handled as a crop, timber becomes a resource as lasting as the most dependable agricultural cropland. Forests can go ou and on.

All in all, we have ample tree-grorving lands plus the knou,-horv and equipment to gro'"v the timber n'e need. 1\{ost important of all, private and public owners have the u'ill and .desire to grow crops of trees.

Of cclurse, we have our {orest problen.rs in 1913 the million-acre Klamath Indian Reservatiotr forest u.ith 8 billion board feet of timber, rnostly Ponderosa Pine, u'as put under manafaenlent. About tu'c-r percent of this forest has been cut over annually. For ripe trees soid to the highest bidder the Indians received nearly $30 million during the 40 year period. Present earnings are ar<iund $2 million a year. The Klarnath Indians have sold 41 l>lllion feet of timber since 1913, and still have 5-l/3 billion feet of sarvlog timber left. It n,ill take another ter.t years to cut over the virgin area remaining and then the full procluctive capacity of the forest l'ill be unleashed. At that time average grorvth per acre n ill be in excess of 100 board feet and an annual harvest of somervhere betn'een 70 and 100 million board feet should be possible indefinitely.

Our number one problem in tl-re Western Pine Region is the staggering loss rve suffer due to the non-harvesting of high-quality over-ripe trees. When we fail to cut these old trees, they fall prey to insect attacks and tree diseases.

They die and rot in the u,'oods. At the present time u'e are losing several billion feet of fine timber annually. The solution to this proltlem is not easy as the old-grtlrvth forests still cover tremendous areas, many of u'hich ate inaccessible. Hou'ever, real progress is lleing made in nelv systems of cutting, more flexible logging equiprnent, and road building. Also, research in insect control is giving us additional time to organize harvesting prograllrs ahead of the tree killing insects.

In solving this, our biggest forest problem, we will be making available the highest quality logs for lumbel. Taking out the doomed trees rvill also give more grorving space and sunlight to the thrifty younger trees remaining and so produce more quickly the next crop.

There is an ever-changing picture in forest productivity. Virgin forests are more or less in balance over pe.riods oi time. As our forest picture changes from one of primeval forest to orderly managed forest, net gron,th on the nerv crop increases. The time for grorving the next crop varies r'vith the forestry plan and the original tin.rber stand. On some forests repeat cuttings are at freqrrent intervals. On some, cutting cycles come every n, 30, or '10 years. Normally, in the harvesting of the Western I'ine forests a good nucleus'of trees is left for the next crop. In manv operations only the very largest and oldest trees are cut. Nfost trees under 20 inches in diameter and all young trees are left for fnture crops.

Anrple timber supplies already g'ro\\'11 give us time to have neu' crops of trees ready n'hen they are needed in the future. It takes long-time planning, horvever, to take care of such crops as trees. Case histories rvill serve to illlustrate u'hat is being done in this clirection in our region.

From a study of the virgin forests \\'e can estimate what rvould l.rave been the picture o1r the Klamath Reservation if no cutting had taken place. Surprisingly enough, with no cutting the Indians rvould have little more timber than

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Phone Victor 6560 they actually have today. How could this be after a $30million harvest? Because they would have lost to insects over 3f billion of the cut 4l billion board feet of oldgrowth timber. But even more important the forest today would be unmanaged and far less productive for the future than the lands harvested under careful plan by foresters.

About 60 percent of the commercial forest lands in the Western Pine Region are in national forests. There are 97 national forests in this Region growing crops of trees. The earliest of these national forests had their forest management beginnings at the turn of the century. None of them has at this date been fully opened up and gotten in full production. All have annual harvesting programs as on the Indian Reservation. Let's look at a sample national forest-the Malheur in Eastern Oregon. That tract is about the same size as the Klamath Reservation-a commercial area of over 8O0,000 acres.

One Western Pine Tree Farm in Washington, of about 100,000 acres, came under management in the late 1930's. A recent check shows the lands first harvested are now producing 140 board feet per acre per year. Contrast this to the condition of adjacent virgin forest, which was found to 'be showing a net loss of 90 board feet per acre per year ! That is proof enough to private timberland owners that it pays to protect and manage their forest lands. Everywhere lin the Pine Region Tree Farming is growing more crops of trees-

Ot. of my architect friends asked me how much longer he could count on lumber from the west. He had heard that the timber was just about all gone. My answer was that if his grandson became a new Methuselah, even he couldn't hope to live long enough to see the supply diminish. For we are optimists here in the Western Pine Region, and we base our faith and confidence on facts. In the region as a whole there stands today over 550 billion board feet of sawtimber, enough to rebuild e'tery' dwelling in the United States. Back of that great woodpile stands a mighty array of young trees of various ages, growing for tomotrow. And even back of that, stands the great invisible resource, the endless productive power of the fores,t which will still be growing new timber crops when today's tiniest seedlings have grown into mature giants and have been harvested to serve home-builders in their many friendly w-ays-

Operations in the Malheur National Forest began in 1929 with a virgin stand of 7l billion feet. Tl.re sustaincd annual cut is from 90 to 100 million board feet. Income from this forest in the 23 years lrom 1929 amounts to nearly $7 million. Present sales amount to $tfu million annually. Here, too, much good timber has been lost over the years but light cuttings now being made remove insectsusceptible trees. As forests are opened up by harvest cutting such losses will be reduced. Still, it will be many years before this forest gets into full production as much oldgrowth timber remains to be harvested. But, already the treated lands show good evidence that forestry pays.

Western states also have state forests that are being harvested under scientific forestry programs and are giving a good account of themselves.

The same experience-that forests respond to cutting treatment-is evident also on Tree Farms, lands on which private owners are growing successive crops of trees as a business. The Tree Farm program started in the Pine Region only eleven years ago, but already nearly one-third of the private forests industrially owned are enrolled. In addition, hundreds of farmers and ranchers have joined the program and are handling their property under Tree Farm standards.

Tree Farming is a program that tackles tree grou'ing as a business venture. It follows the old business system of getting the facts and planning a program fitted to such facts. It is concerned with results-results that mean more wood growth. It rates forest practices on the basis of their return for the time and money expended over the period.

Greqt New Terminol qt L.A. Hcrrbor

On July trl a huge new unit in the Los Angeles harbor was formally opened. It is the Matson Navigation Company's new $8,250,000 terminal, which will service that company's l5 fast cargo vessels, 3 I,iberty ships, and the luxury passenger ship Lurline.

Since World War Two more than $20,000,000 has been invested in the harbor, making the total money invested since its founding about $150,000,000.

Today the harbor represents a 7,W acre facility with 24 terminals or transit sheds including the new Matson installation. Wharfage space at the sheds will accommodate 38 ocean liners, 14 oil tankers, and 15 lumber carriers at the sdme time.

Four railroads, 200 motor truck lines, and six main highways provide ample land transportation to and from the harbor's 28 miles of water frontage.

iXe thct4[o :'of lhctoultl

NEW "AL.2O"