Early logging practices did not paint a pretty picture as the following photo illustrates.
Photo courtesy Washington State Archives, circa 1900
Only the best timber was taken with the rest left to rot and provide fuel for forest fires. Why such wasteful practices? Timber was cheap and abundant with efficiency the primary criteria for what was taken and what was left. The constraints of technology at the time also played a significant role. The above log train illustrates. Log lengths appear to have been limited to between 8 and 12 feet, maybe 16 feet at the longest. Anything longer made it impossible to navigate the bends and curves trains had to follow. Logs were bucked in the woods to standard lengths which left lots of good timber on the ground in lengths too short to use. Donkey engines used for yarding and loading rail cars carried only so much lifting capacity, limiting what could be carried by railcar or truck trailer.
Thank goodness, the 1920's saw the beginning of industry acknowledging that long term sustainability need also be considered - in part based on lessons learned in the forests of the upper Midwest where timber supplies were being rapidly depleted. Technology also improved making it possible to make better use of what timber was harvestable. It's still hard for me to look at pictures like this, though.
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