FORESTRY AMONG THE GIANTS 



653 



were when logging was not so dean. The value of 

 natural reproduction is becoming increasingly appreci- 

 ated and the day when it will he supplemented with 

 nursery grown seedlings is not far oS. Truly all of 

 these things are working together for the good of the 

 cut-over lands and we may confidently look forward to 

 seeing a large prof>ortion of 

 the 900,000 acres of virgin 

 timber, still to be logged, 

 grow rapidly again into tim- 

 ber under adequate safe- 

 guards from the worst de- 

 spoiler of the forest fire. 

 The older areas are a more 

 difficult problem, many of 

 whidh will require long con- 

 tinued, painstaking and ex- 

 pensive effort before they 

 can be adequately restocked 

 with trees. This will come 

 in time but we are for the 

 present mainly interested in 

 seeing successful efforts 

 made to prevent any of the 

 freshly cut area getting in- 

 to this forlorn condition. 



A number of companies, 

 representing over 60% of 

 the annual output of red- 

 wood, have retained Major 

 D. T. Mason to study the 

 problem of their individual 

 lands and make recommen- 

 dations for future forest 

 management. The suppo- 

 sition is that a majority of 

 these will proceed in the 

 immediate future to act on 

 these recommendations. 

 One, the Union Lumber 

 Company, of Fort Bragg, has adopted the principle 

 of permanent timber production and is proceedmg on 

 this basis. They have planned what they hope will be 

 nearly "air tight" fire protection on all their lands as 

 the necessary first step and a number of rangers are in 

 the field this summer to carry it out. V. B. Davis (U. 

 of Cal., '21) has been placed in charge of the reforesta- 

 tion program and is developing on the outskirts of Fort 

 Bragg a gem of a forest nursery. Here on an area of 

 about ten acres, within sound of the busy saw mill is 

 growing this summer the first big crop of redwood 

 seedlings ever raised for reforestation purposes. There 

 are fifty seed beds of redwood seedlings and others 

 with experimental lots of Douglas fir and Sitka spruce. 

 He is planning to use about a half a million trees a 

 year which will give you an idea that this spot will be 

 a busy place in the future. The nursery is situated on 

 a fine piece of level sandy loam soil, has a business-like 

 little building for storage of seed and tools and the 



REDWOOD CUT-OVER LAND ON THE NOYO RIVER SEVEN 

 YEARS AFTER LOGGING. THE SPROUTS ARE DEVELOPING 

 SPLENDIDLY BUT THE STAND IS TOO OPEN AND SUBJECT 

 TO THE INVASION OF CHAPARRAL SPECIES. THIS CONDI- 

 TION HAS INDUCED THE EXTENSIVE EXPERIMENTS IN 

 ARTIFICIAL REPRODUCTION NOW BEING CARRIED ON. 



whole is surrounded by a neat white picket fence. 

 Though but a few months old it looks the essence of 

 stability, and residents of Fort Bragg are already point- 

 ing with pride to "our nursery." It is indeed a symbol 

 of progress and permanence. The company is making 

 experiments in the leaving of seed trees along ridge tops 



as may be noted in the il- 

 lustration, and in coopera- 

 tion with the Forestry Di- 

 vision of the University of 

 California is carrying on 

 extensive planting tests of 

 trees not native to the red- 

 wood region, which may 

 prove to be well suited to 

 the conditions. A number 

 of the more valuable hard- 

 wood species such as red 

 and white oak, black wal- 

 nut, and sugar maple are 

 being tried in the hope that 

 some of these valuable fin- 

 ishing woods may be pro- 

 duced in the west. 



The University of Cali- 

 fornia through the Forestry 

 Division is carrying on a 

 detailed study of redwood 

 yield on different sites. 

 Studies of redwood seed 

 production and germination 

 and other reproduction 

 methods are also in prog- 

 ress. Redwood second 

 growth is in extensive use 

 for piling, poles, and for all 

 kinds of rustic construction. 

 Very little has as yet been 

 sawn into lumber so a 

 study is also being carried 

 determine its usefulness for 

 The United States Forest 



on^by Professor Fritz to 

 that and for other purposes 

 Service at the request of the California Redwood Asso- 

 ciation began last year a study of wastes which occur 

 in redwood logging and milling as they are carried on at 

 present in the hope that these can be largely eliminated 

 in the future. In these and other ways the foresters 

 and forest agencies of California are doing everything 

 in their power to discover important facts which may 

 assist operators to a realization of the innate possibili- 

 ties of these lands. 



From what has been said I think it is evident that 

 forestry among the giants has alluring possibilities. 

 The past year has seen the idea of permanent timber 

 production firmly implanted in the minds of at least one 

 group of men who are doing big things in a big way 

 among the redwoods. With such a favorable beginning 

 there can be Httle doubt that the idea will spread, take 

 root elsewhere in the region and grow vigorously to the 



