TIMBER. 13 



While a large part of the region lying east of the Forest will prob- 

 ably remain a stock country, the completion of the reclamation 

 project already mentioned will mean the rapid development of large 

 areas in Klamath County. It is also probable that portions of the 

 open country now given over to range cattle will in the future be 

 used for dairying. Since there is a much smaller amount of timber 

 in private hands on this side of the Cascades than on the west side, 

 the rapidly developing portions of the regions will come to rely early 

 upon the Forest for their supply. Already Fort Klamath is becom- 

 ing thus dependent. 



Much of the timber on the east slope of the Cascades and in the 

 Siskiyous is at present largely inaccessible. The streams are not 

 drivable without rather expensive improvement work, and to reach 

 the only railroad, the Southern Pacific, means a haul of from 10 to 

 50 miles. Large private holdings, more accessible than the Forest 

 timber, will soon be logged by the lumber companies in the valleys 

 and supply practically all the present local demand. The new line 

 of the Pacific & Eastern Railway from Medford to Butte Falls, 

 already in operation, will, however, make accessible a considerable 

 amount of Forest timber. It is planned further to extend the road 

 up Willow Creek over the Fish Lake Divide to Pelican Bay, which 

 will take it directly through the Forest and will make possible the 

 logging of a large area. Butte Falls, which lies but a mile from the 

 Forest boundary, is even now a lumber camp of some importance 

 with a well-equipped sawmill. 



From a silvicultural standpoint it would be desirable to get rid of 

 the mature timber on the Crater Forest, an enormous amount in the 

 aggregate, as fast as it could be cut. The present inaccessibility of 

 most of it, however, would preclude the possibility of this, even were 

 there not other factors to be taken into account. Of these factors, 

 the large amount of privately owned timber in the region is one of 

 the most important. The lumberman can not be expected to hold his 

 timber for any great length of time. He must pay taxes on it, must 

 get some return from his investment within a reasonable period, and 

 the longer he holds the timber the greater is the chance that it will be 

 destroyed by fire. He has timber enough to meet a large part of the 

 present demand, and will do so. But because in most cases he must mar- 

 ket his timber now, he will not be able to supply the future demand, 

 which, in the Pacific Northwest at least, bids fair to be much greater 

 than the present. If the development of the country is to go forward 

 with the same strides as in the past, there must be a permanent source 

 of supply available when the timber from private lands has been dis- 

 posed of. National Forests such as the Crater were created for just 

 this purpose. Even if it were possible to throw all of its merchantable 

 timber on the market now, no good and much harm would result, 



