American citizen., 1874-01-31
Forest Preservation.

WE have heretofore published numer-
GUS articles, selected or original, bearing
upon the great and growing importance
of the question of the future timber sup
ply of this country. The fact is now
generally admitted, that our vast forests
| once supposed inexhaustible, have already
been and are still being destroyed to so
great an extent that the very next genera
alton is likely to find its supply OF wood
| insufficient, unless some great change, at
present not probable, takes place in our
modes of life, so that the demand for wood
in all its multIform uses shall be very
greatly decreased, or unless the supply
be largely increased.
Attention has been already attracted to
one branch of the problem of future sup
p,y,-that of encouraging new planta-
tions; especially in the almost treeless
regions between the Missouri and the
Rocky Mountains. 1t is probable that
some effectual plan of Government en-
couragcment of that very necessary work
may be adopted. Even without it, the
efforts already inaugurated by Railroad
corporations owning large grants of land,
and by individual settlers planting small
groves for their OWL use, are likely to
work wonderful metamorphosis in the
character of the Great Plains within the
next generation.
The Importance of the planting branch
of the supply question can scarcely be
over estimated, and we wish to see it still
urged until its pressing necessity shall be
still better understood than now, and still
more active and general measures shall
be adopted to meet it.
Meanwhile, we cannot help thinking
the idea is too generally and easily dis
carded as hopeless, of doing something
etectual to preserve the natural forests
\. .1s.l,
tries, as we understand, especially in the
continental ones, great tracts of forests
are retained strictly in the hands of the
State, which preserves and fosters their
growth, prevents their indiscriminate and
wasteful destruction, and in fact controls
and regulates the periodical cuttings of
the crops of timber as carefully and
strictly as the individual farmer does of
his crops of grain.
We suspect it has been too easily taken
for granted that nothing of this kind is
possible in this country. The arbitrary
and severe forest regulations by which
some of the old nations have guarded
their woodlands have established a preju-
dice in our minds against the mode of
attaining the end which perhaps has un-
necessarily extended to the end itself.
Our Governments State or NationaD
ought to be competent to the accomplish
ment, directly or by indirect agencies, of
whatever public objects the welfare of the
whole people demands. And the neces-
sity of providing a timber supply is be-
coming SO obvious and pressing that it is
quite time for the Government (Which is
the people themselves) to begin to con
slider what may be rightly and wisely
done by the Government to meet it.
Why cannot the present policy of sell
ing off the public lands as rapidly as pos
sible be changed, at least so far as the
aooOded lands are concerned? Why can
not it be modified, as to them, at least so
far as to make the sale of the timber only,
reserving the land to the Government?
In the management of private property
it is an everyday affair for the owner of
woodland to sell the ''wood leave" of a
tract, reserving the land with the express
purpose of allowing ii to grow up again
in wood. Why could not the Government
do the same? is it not, indeed, every day
becoming increasingly obvious that some
such policy must be speedily adopted, if
we would not soon see our few remaining
great natural forest regions swept as bare
as millions upon millions of acres already
have been9
Once sold to private purchasers, the
wood is usually soon swept off, and is not
allowed to grow again. Such of the land
as can be cultivated is converted into
IdTInS, the TeSl dlDclL IL is almost WORTH
less except woodland, becomes a pas
ture or II barren waste; when perhaps
with slight protection and encouragement
it would in few years be again clothed
with a vigorous growth of young wood,
to become valuable timber in time.
Maine has considerable timber region,
of little value for other purposes, which
is perhaps not yet beyond the power of
the State to protect. New York is already
beginning to consider the question of pre-
serving her Adirondack forests The ma
ton has still large forest tracts along the
shore of Lake Superior, and in Northern
Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Rocky Noun
tains, and along the Pacific Slope, not yet
disposed of to private purchasers, but fast
being so, and for the preservation of
which nothing is being done Is it not
the first and most obvious step in solving
the problem of timber supply, to preserve
what we have? Is it not time to consider
seriously whether it is not the duty of the
National Government to lead the way by
prompt and effective measures to that
end d?-BloomSngton (LH) Pantdgraph.