Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-07-02
Hard Woods and Their Destruction.

THE steady advance in the price of hard
wood lumber for some years may be taken
as pretty good evidence that the available
supply is decreasing at a rapid rate, or
that the demand is increasing faster than
facilities are furnished to put ii in the
market. There is no room to question
the first proposition, however, for let any
one travel in almost any direction in the
Northwestern States, where twenty years
ago were fine forests of hard wood tim Der,
and he will no longer doubt the fact that
very large portion of such forests have
been depleted of this wooded wealth.
The ak Of the pioneer has been called
"a great civilizer," but it has, at the same
time, been essoiler of untold riches in
the hands of injudicious or thoughtless
men. 1t is true that hundreds of men
have hewn down the primeval wilderness
and carved out homes in the deep forests,
but in almost every case they have done
so with scarcely thought or care about
the value of the timber which fell before
their ax-strokes. They selected their sites
for their dwellings and their "clearings"
upon considerations into which the rela-
tive or prospective value of different
kinds of wood did not enter. Their
" slashings" took no account of varieties
or kinds of wood, and walnut cherry,
bird's-eye maple, ETC., were sacrificed in
discriminatory with beech, elm or poplar.
A tree, no matter OF what kind, was an
enemy to be got rid of; and thus hundreds
of thousands, yes, millions, of feet of the
choicest hardwood varieties of timber
were destroyed in the confiagrations of
the "wind-r0w." Many of the men who
acted so unwisely lived long enough to
see and regret this improvident waste of
what would have proved very important
source of profit to them. The "clearings"
might very often have been located where
the sacrifices would have been less and
the ultimate benefits infinitely greater.
Now, this may recall the story of the
milkmaid, or It's moral, but it may not be
altogether profitless; for the same thing is
still going on in some OF the newer por.
tons of the wood regions of the North
west; and if those who are pursuing a
policy so suicidal do not desire to repine
over short sighted and improvident de,
struction of valuable resources, let them
take warning and preserve their hard.
wood timber.
This wanton destruction of woods
which possess SO much intrinsic value
Has HILL SSA Hiucu w az WIN luD uppiO"
citation in prices referred to at the outset
of this article, and as these woods become
scarcer the prices will advance still more.
The consumption in the legitimate wants
of trade is increasing, also, every year,
and while the demand will draw more
largely upon the resources of the forest
and these will be annually shortened, it
is question and very important one
how long will they lastS Certainly
not always, and while we shall not at
tempt to answer the question at this time
having no data upon which TO make al
estimate, we may suggest that it is mat
ter upon which not only those of oday
who have a personal interest, so far as
business is concerned, may profitably be-
stow some attention, but one also upon
which every thoughtful man who looks
to the future will do well to ponder. One
generation of men owe something to pos.
terity. Should we go on, blindly and
selfshly ignoring the requirements OF the
future?-Cor. Northeastern Zimmerman.