24,000 Acres of California Timber Swept Bv Fire-- Salvage Plans Un der W.y to Save 50r00OrOO0 Feet

Tuolumne City, California, September 15: Encouraging reports were made today by Fred Ellis, president of the West Side Lumber Company here, concerning hopes for salvaging at least a large portion of the 24,ffi0 acre tract of commercial timber that was swept by fire from September 3 to 10. The fire was perhaps the worst in all California forest history, there being an estimated 110,000,000 feet of commercial timber on the tract ravaged by fire in the Stanislaus Naional Forest area.

Ellis said yesterday preliminary estimates show as much as 50,0ffi,000 board feet of company timber rvas burned. Salvage operations are scheduled to start today with the beginning of repairs on the railroad, of which 26 miles were in the fire area and are at least paitially destroyed.

"By this time next year, f think we will have most of the burned over timber logged and some of it in lumber and even some in houses," Ellis said.

It will cost the company between $150,000 and $200,000 to repair its railroad, move a logging camp and build access roads into the burned over areas belonging to the company, he pointed oui.

Asked for an estimate on West Side losses in the worst fire in Tuolumne County history, Ellis said he cannot hazard a guess at this time because timber cruises and surveys of the area are not complete.

Meanwhile the United States Forest Service is making plans for salvage operations of the rest of the timber in the fire region, Fo:est Service officials said yesterday. Details of the plans are not yet ready and estimated losses in the fire ..will not be determinable until the service has made studies of the amount of salvageable timber. Costs of fire suppression are also in the process of accounting.

Best available estimates of the amorlnt of timber in the 24,000-acre burned area indicate 100,0C0,000 board feet of timber were burned in varying degrees in the fire rvhich broke out September 3 and burned out of control until September 9.

Of this total footage, more than 50,000,000 board feet are considered me:chantable. But both lumber company ancl

Forest Service officials point out the major loss is in young forest growth which would have provided for future timber land.

Some of the area was logged over by West Side and otfrcr firms in the past 50 years, but most of the.reproduction of^ those lands was destroyed. A great deal of virgin timber in forests never logged by man also was burned, including valuable sugar pine and a lot .of Ponderosa pine.

Ellis said repair n'ork will begin immediately from both sides of the burn with some crews working from Tuolumne City and others working back from Camp 45 at the end of the railroad in the Cherry Valley countrl'.

Facilities and equipment at Camp 45 'will be movecl shortly to Camp 8, nearest Tuolumne City. to serve as a logging base for salvaging timber, estirnated at 9,000,000 board feet in the Casa Madera, Basin Creek headwaters and Mt. Provo area.

Speaking exclusively aboui the salvage of companvowned timber, Ellis said his men also will try. to build a road in the Duckwall Mountain lands to salvage as much timber, including much sugar pine, as soon as possibte. He said he hopes to see between 10,0O0,000 and 12,000,0@ board feet of timber salvaged this year before the end of logging season.

Meanvvhile 2,500,000 board feet of cut timber lying reidy for transportation at Camp 45 will be taken back to the mill for sawing into lumber.

Roads will be built northward from Camp 8, southivard from the railroad's l4-mile posts to Quilty Mill and south. ward from l6-Y on the railroad to the Duckwall Mountain area.

Ellis said that the burned and dead trees must be logged within one year in order to cut them before rnoisture stains the wood or destructive insects ,cause serious damage.

"Of course the bugs will get in there but I think we will beat them to it. We have lost quite a bit and it is going to cost this company a lot of money. But I think tve can salvage most of the burned timber, except, of course, rvhel'e the fire burned hottest.l'