Clearcutting and replanting Douglas-fir from the 1 940s through the 

 1970s created the mosaic of even-aged, single-species plantations 

 visible today in much of western Oregon and Washington. 



Logging and Tree Farming 



Logging in the Pacific Northwest created 

 many changes in forest vegetation both east 

 and west of the Cascade crest. The forest 

 industry gained momentum in Washington 

 and Oregon in the late 1800s. The Puget 

 Sound area had major shipping ports. Lum- 

 ber was sent to San Francisco and helped 

 build many West Coast cities. Logs were 

 dragged out of the woods by oxen, horses, 

 and mules and floated to steam-powered 

 mills. By the turn of the century, narrow- 

 gauge railways provided access to remote, 

 rugged areas. Steam-donkey engines on 

 skids and high-lead cables pulling logs above 

 the forest floor made log removal easier and 

 reduced soil compaction. Railroads allowed 

 efficient transport of material to markets in 

 the East, where ponderosa pine and west- 

 ern white pine from eastern Washington and 

 Oregon were highly prized. Low shipping 

 rates allowed Puget Sound producers to com- 

 pete for interior markets, as well as continue 

 to supply worldwide customers. 



Beginning in the early 

 1900s, mechanized equip- 

 ment was used extensively. 

 From about 1910 to 1940, 

 the lumber market was glut- 

 ted. Land owners suffering 

 major economic hardships 

 during this period were 

 forced to liquidate stumpage 

 to pay for the land or other 

 investments. They extracted 

 only the most valuable logs 

 as quickly as possible, leav- 

 ing "weed" trees standing 

 and high volumes of fuels ly- 

 ing on the ground. Sparks 

 from steam engines and rail- 

 roads started many fires, 

 and burns through logging 

 debris were hot and damaged 

 the soil, seedlings, and re- 

 maining trees. 



After World War II, the log- 

 ging industry struggled to keep up with de- 

 mand for wood products. Gas-powered 

 chain saws and diesel and gasoline-powered 

 trucks and tractors improved logging effi- 

 ciency and reduced fire hazard. Removal of 

 all wood within reach of cable settings 

 (clearcutting) increased because of opera- 

 tional efficiency and ease of regenerating new 

 forest in the Douglas-fir region. Slash burn- 

 ing was standard. 



By the 1950s, the most productive por- 

 tions of Pacific Northwest forests were be- 

 ing managed to maximize timber production. 

 When cutover sites were replanted, Douglas- 

 fir was usually the only species planted on 

 the west side and ponderosa pine on the east 

 side. Although the prevalence and distribu- 

 tion of species changed somewhat after log- 

 ging and replanting, the planted seedlings 

 did not always thrive, and native species of- 

 ten partly or completely revegetated har- 

 vested areas. 



Overview — 7 



