The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-12-11
DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS.
Some Rather Startling Facts and
Figures

Some Rather startling Facts and
Figures.
The constant and reckless destruc-
ton of our forests is fast bringing us to
a condition in which there will be oc-
casion for real alarm. It is not proba-
BILE that any "scare' like that which a
few wears ago went over England con-
cernine the prospective exhaustion of
her coal supply, will Immediately oc-
cur in America, touching the loss of our
forests, but we wish something near
enough approaching 1T might happen
to stop a..work that is full OF evil prom
| ise.
In the whole United States there is
left but one really great tract of timber.
| It lies at the far extreme of our country,
| and consists of about one-half of Wash
| ington Territory and third of Oregon.
| California has, perhaps, 5000 acres
| of forest now. of which fully one-half
has been cut away within the last two
or three years. Here in New York we
have no considerable forest left except
in the Adirondack region. Our wealth
of maple, walnut, and hickory is sub
stantially gone, and large part OF it
has been wantonly destroyed. W1scon-
| sin had a magnificent forest growth, but
the people are sweeping it away at
rapid rate. One billion feet of timber
were cut in a single year. It will not
take more than decade or two at the
utmost to fairly exhaust this source of
wealth to the State. Michigan and
| Minnesota are following in the same
course, slashing away at their forests as
if tree had no right to lift its head.
One of our most intelligent army Off
GERS, Gen. Brisbin, who knows the
Western country thoroughly, and to
whose accurate knowledge of this sub
lect we are indebted for many facts,
says that $4,000 acres of Wisconsin
timber are cut annually to supply the
Kansas and Nebraska markets alone.
The Saginaw forests are even now prac
tically destroyed, and if the Northern
Pacific railway is built, it will open up
to the ak the one remaining belt of
American timber, in Oregon and Wash
ington Territory.
The railroads have been the great
destroyers of our forests. They use
16O. 600, 900 of ties annually-that
means the leveling of at least $50, 600
also, is not the refuse or the inferior,
but among the very best fine young
trees, eight to ten inches in diameter.
The Union Pacific Company undertook
at first to lay their road with cotton
wood ties, drawn from the occasional
wooded canyons along the line of the
road. One consequence of this was
shown in our Washington dispatch, the
other day, regarding the legislation to
be asked of Congress for the relief of
the road. The Government Commis-
sion appointed to examine the line re-
ported that it was not completed within
the terms of the law. The use of these
soft wood ties was held by them to be
an evasion of contract, and government
patents for the lands granted along two
or three hundred miles of the road have
accordingly been refused. The settlers
who have bought the lands can get no
titles from the company, for it has none.
This looks bad for our forests, since it
means the ultimate destruction OF
thousands of acres of more good timber
to replace the condemned ties, which
have already swept off large part OF
the few precious growths of this com.
paratively treeless region. IF it is re-
membered that ties have to be renewed
every. seven years, the extent of the de
mand on our forests Will be appreciated
When 10, 600 miles more of rails have
been laid, it will require all the youne
Itrees in the country to supply the de
mand for ties.
Fences are also enormous consumers
I of trees. In the East we are learning
in this regard economy from necessity
but in the West, in some States, the
:, farmers cut down the fo1 ests with scarce
ly more thought than they harvest thei
i, grain. The fences of the United States
I people may not generally know, hav'
l cost more than the lands, and are, to
4 day, the most valuable class of prop
3 erty, save railroads and real estate il
: cities. Illinois alone has So, ,000, ,00t
invested in fences, and they cost an
nually $175, 900 for repairs. In Ne
: braska, where excellent herd laws ar
in force, the necessity for fences ha
9 been SO much lessened that the fence
y of the State cost less in proporti on t.
population than in any other IN tn
). Union.
The outrageous waste of timbe
T caused by the telling of forests and tn
. burning of the trees to bring the Ian
g under cultivation still goes on at feal
:. full rate. From 1860 to 1870 no les
than II, 600, 900 acres of forest were thu
wantonly destroyed. For fuel also vas
'. tracts are leveled of their trees. It too
@ 10000 acres of forest to supply Chicag
g with fuel one year, 1871. An annus
5 decrease of forest from all these cause
Il is not far from 5000, 900 acres. Yet W
,. plant only 1O,0 acres of new forest
n year.
n The necessity for commission {
= forestry, and the need of efficient Law
l. in all the States for the preservation I
l. forests, need no further argument tina
e these facts.-NetO York Times.