1900

The Courage to Risk

In January 1900, Frederick Weyerhaeuser and 15 partners took a step that stirred the imagination and signaled a new era in the history of the lumber industry. In the largest private land transaction in American history to that time, they purchased 900,000 acres of Washington state timberland from the Northern Pacific Railway.

Frederick wanted to name the new land and timber firm "The Universal Timber Company." His partners overruled him and instead named the company in his honor.

A Long-Term Vision

The country was expanding westward. Frederick Weyerhaeuser and his partners had acquired one of the richest timber areas on Earth; one that made large-scale operations possible for decades to come - forever with proper conservation practices.

"This is not for us, nor for our children - but for our grandchildren."

The Yacolt Forest Fire

The young company concentrated its efforts on acquiring new land, selling standing timber to local manufacturers and staying out of the logging business. But one of the most dramatic events in the early history of Washington state changed that.

The summer of 1902 was hot, clear and dry. The forests became tinder. A few fires broke out, then a high wind fanned them into one massive blaze. In a letter written to Frederick Weyerhaeuser, general manager George S. Long wrote: "At this hour, 2 p.m., the city of Tacoma is practically in a state of semi-darkness…" An area that had been a prime stand of quality fir, cedar and hemlock was now a graveyard of trees. The company needed to act fast or the downed timber would be a complete loss. The work was exceptionally dirty and difficult. Hundreds of loggers were required to carry out the salvage operation that took a decade to complete.

The Yacolt Burn pushed the company into the logging business, and the massive salvage effort helped create friendships with local landowners and mill operators. The devastating fire also inspired the company to become a leader in public and private forest fire protection.

First Headquarters

The company settled into two rented rooms in a building in Tacoma adjacent to offices of the Northern Pacific Railway. The railroad had the only maps of the land the company had just purchased.

First Sawmill

The company purchased a small mill in Everett, Washington.

George S. Long - A Forest Diplomat

None of the company's original investors lived in the Pacific Northwest, so they needed a trustworthy manager for their new venture. They picked George S. Long as their first general manager - a position he held for 30 years.

Long had good judgment, vision and a gift for building cooperation. These skills were needed in abundance, as the local community tended to view the new landowners with suspicion. He set out immediately to assure mill operators that their timber supply was dependable and that the new company would be a good neighbor that intended to stick around for the long term.

"The job that confronted me was not a lumberman's but a diplomat's."

A Visionary for Sustainable Forestry

George S. Long was ahead of his time, promoting the idea of sustainable forestry. In 1904, he sponsored a study to look at the potential of growing timber as a crop.

"Timber is a natural resource that can be renewed. The company's greatest asset is the forest soil and the reproductive power of trees."

Under Long's guidance, Weyerhaeuser became a leading force advancing timber conservation, fire protection and reforestation. He greatly expanded the company's land base through further purchases of timberlands and was instrumental in changing repressive tax laws that had encouraged cutting timber as fast as possible to convert the land for farming.

Forest Fire Protection

Under George S. Long's leadership, Weyerhaeuser was instrumental in starting the forest fire protection movement. By 1908, the Washington Fire Protection Association had 75 forest fire patrolmen working in Northwest forests and had extinguished 350 fires.