96-11AP New Sawmill in 1924, Art PrintVast forests in the high Cascade Mountain Range were the source of logs for the new sawmill being built in 1924 at Westfir, Oregon. Around that time, the U.S. Forest Service was newly assigned the responsibility of managing these forests. They put 685-million board feet of timber up for sale in the mountains up the North Fork of the Willamette River. It was a tremendous amount of timber, offered under a restriction that designated just where the mill to cut the timber should be built.Westfir began as a wide spot in an old U.S. military road that wound through the rugged North Fork canyon. It wasn't until 1923 that Westfir got its name and things began happening. The mill had been bought and sold many times over the years of its existence and is no longer standing. Westfir is still there. At one time it was a company-owned town peppered with many setbacks such as destructive floods, bankrupt banks, failing companies, and bitter strikes. Trees continue to grow with no distinction of whether they are on public or private timberlands. At some time these forests will need thinning and a complete harvest, followed by replanting. If that process does not happen, then as time goes by, these forests will become an extreme fire hazard as limbs and trees die, covering the forest floor and becoming fuel for destruction. Though this mill is gone there are others ready and capable of manufacturing the renewable resource that this mountain range produces; keeping our forests healthy and productive for future generations. |
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