Farming Trees in California

By Rockwell D. Hunt in the Los Angeles Times

On Saturday, Aug. 26, 1950 the world's first redwood tree farm was dedicated in Hammond Grove, near Eureka. Participating in the ceremony were Gov. Earl Warren, W. S. Rosecrans, chairman of the State Board of Forestry, and George B. Mcleod, president of the Hammond l-umber Co., in the I,resence of about 2000 persons.

"The inauguration of the tree farm movement," declared Mr. Rosecrans, "is recognition of the fact that trees are a crop and that it pays to grow them. It marks the transition frottr exploiting and depleting our forest resources to reproducing and perpetuating them."

Alert professional foresters had for years been preaching the doctrine of perpetual forest yield, thus to establish and rnaintain the industry on a permanent basis. It rvas in tht' State of Washington that the movement to provide a continuous supply of lumber through scientific farming was startcd. This was in 1941.

For the redwood farm, dedicated in 1950, the Redwood Association has laid down four rules, which require the owner to give assurance of his willingness to maintain the land in condition for the production of forest crops, to provide protection from fire ancl other hazards, to practice selective log- ging and to provide information regarding his farm rvhen requested.

By virtue of selective logging the young redwood saplings rnake very rapid growth-a tree tu,o feet in diameter doubles its volume in'a period of 20 years. Seedlings and young trees rvill make sufficient growth to justify reharvest in 45 years, yielding a profit. It is by the careful application of farming methods that the Redwood -\ssociation and the owners expect to perpetuate the forests while at the same time providing a continuous supply of very valuable lur-nber.

"We are here today," declared Gov. Warren in his dedicatory address, "acknowleding the fact that we are but stewards of California's God-given abundance, as we dedicate our oldest living resource into perpetuity."

But the redwood does not stand alone among trees as a basis for successful farming. Within the last few years the Douglas fir has taken the lead in providing a tree crop. Until recently this fir was commonly regarded as rvorthless, a mere "weed tree," but desirable uses have been found for it and the dernand promises to be permanent.

Owners of many thousands of acres in Humboldt Countv are discovering that the planned tree crop will provide a more satisfactory yield than can be anticipated from the expensive clearing of the land for other farming purposes.

Prof. Emanual Fritz of the Llniversity of California College of Forestry urges that "a perpetually yielding forest should remain in the Humboldt as a firm ancl enduring asset and tax base for the region."

Tree farming in California is still in its beginnings, although more than 100,000 acres of Douglas fir alone has alreadr. been certified for that purpose ancl several tirnes rhat area is now ready for certification

The tree farm is taxpaying, prir,ateh' owned lancl operated Ior permanent yield, under necessarv regulations laid dou-n by appropriate governmental agencies. The dedication of the first redwood tree farm is a significant event in contemporaneous history.

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