The Washington union., 1857-09-19
THE yEIow PINE FOREST OF THE SOUTH.

THE YELLOW PINE FOREST OF THE SOUTH
The rapid disappearance of the pine forest under
the axe of the planter and mbergeters Of the south
ern States, known the yelioc pine among ship.
builders is beginning to attract the attention of the
public.
This belt Of forest runs east and south Of line
drawn from the Chesapeake bay through Raleigh,
in North Carolina Cheraw and Columbia in South
Carolina Augusta, Macon, and Columbus, in Geor-
gia Montgomery in Alabama. This line may be
said TO be the base of the Blue Ridge.
From this base line stretching to the seaboard,
over level or gently yundulatng country but occa-
sionaly interspersed with oak and hickory, lies this
great pine belt.
Its width save that tongue jutting into Flor.
ida, may be estimated from sevcnty-hve TO one hun
dred and fifty miles, but ON that portion touching the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts, width OF from thirty to
forty miles, the pines are Scattering and of stnted
growth and almost worthless for commerce, for
turpentine SO that it may be safely estimated
that that portion of the pine belt adapted for the cut
ting Of timber cannot exceed an average of more
than seventy five miles in width and Of this, proba
by near one-half of the forest since the first settle
ment of the country, has been deadened and the soil
put in cultivation.
It is well known that the stronger and better
the SOIL the larger, longer and straighter are the
pines, and thousands of acres OF these pine for
ests are annually deadened by the planters for
the purpose of putting fresh land into cultivation,
while the timber-getters culling and cutting for
commerce that which is within convenient distance
for water carriage Nor will the planter desst from
this wholesale destruction of these forests until the
value of the trees shall be enhanced as to make it
an object for him to hold them for their value as
lumber
Thus will the forest continue rapidly to disappear
until it will be found perhaps too late that there isa
scarcity of this valuable timber and which, if ever
/ replaced, will require centuries.
| For more than quarter of a century the United
States government has been guarding and protecting
the live oaks that grow within limited distance Of
the sea-board and yet it isa well-establishcd fact
that the live oaks are of much more rapid growth
than the yellow pine.
II has been estimated by the timber-getters thaa
large pine sufficient for the spars or beams OF first
class ship requires from two to three hundred years
| to grow.
The pine forest Of Virginia, North and South Caro-
lima which is within convenient hauling distance
| to water carriage is already nearly exhausted.
| In Georgia. that which is on the principal rivers
has been culled for some miles either side of the
| streams and timber is now being hauled from ten
to fifteen miles to the Savannah river for ship
| ment
The French government at the present time is hav,
ing it's orders for timber filled by trees cut in Geor
gia, upon the rivers that flow into the Gulf of Next
co and here the rafting of timber for miles across
the open bays to the points where the shipping can
/ come to receive it renders it exceedingly trouble
some and expensive, and often attended with the
| entire loss of the RATS.
| With knowledge of these facts and doubtless
startled by the rapid destruction Of these pine for
ess, our government has acted wisely in withdraw
ing from sale (now for the first tme her pine lands
which lie upon the Suwannee river, in Florida with
the view of holding them for their lumber for the fu
ture use of her navy and it may now be seen-and
perhaps too late--that this wise precaution should
have been taken years ago, by withdrawing those
pine lands in Florida which are situated upon the
waters that flow into the Atlantic