Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-11-11
Destruction OF Our Forests.

condition 10 which there VIII be occasion
for real alarm. 1t is not probable that
any "scnre" like that which few years
ago went over England, concerning the
prospective exhaustion of her coal supply,
will Immediately occur In American,
touching the loss of our forests; but we
wish something near enough approaching
1t might happen to step work that is full
of evil promise.
In the whole United States there is left
but one really great tract of timber. 1t
lies at the far extreme of our country,
and consists of about onc-half of WASH
ingiou Ter 'itory and third of Oregon.
California has. perhaps, 500. 900 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 forests left except in the
Adirondack region. Our wealth of ma
pie, walnut, and hickory is substantially
goue, and large part Of it has been wan
tuniy destroyed Wisconsin had mag
nifcent forest growth, but the people are
sweeping it away at marvelously rapid
rate. One billion feet of timber were
cut in single year. 1t will not take
more than decade or two at the utmost
to fairy exhaust this source of wealth to
the state. Michigan, Minnesota are fol.
lowing 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 officers. Gen. Brisbin, who knows
the western country thoroughly, and to
whose accurate knowledge of this subject
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 practically destroyed
aud if the Northern Pacific railway is built
it will open up to the AK the one remain
lrg belt of American timber, in Oregon
AMI Washington Territory.
The railroads have been the great de-
stroycrs Of our forests. They use one
hundred and sixty millions Of ties annu.
ally-that means the levcing Of at least
| l50, 900 acres of trees. The timber thoy
use, 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 cottonwood ties,
drawn from the occasional wooded canons
along the lines of the road. One conse-
quencc Of this was shown in our Wash
ingtoh despatch the other day, regarding
the legislation to be asked from Congress
for the relief of the road. The Govern
nent Commission appointed to examine
the line reported that it was not complet-
ed within the terms of the law. The use
of these soft.wood ties was held by them
to be an evasion of contract, and Govern.
mcnt patents for the lands granted along
two or thrco hundred miles of the road
have accordingly been refused. The set
tiers who have bought the lands can get
no titles from the company, for it has
uone. This looks bad for our forests,
since it means the ultimate destruction of
thousands Of acres more Of good timber
to replace the condemned ties which have
already swept off large part of the few
precious growths of this comparatively
trceless region. If tits remembered that
ties have to be removed every seven years
the extent Of the demand on our forests
will be appreciated, When 10000 miles
more Of rails have been lain, it will re-
quire all the young trees in the country
to supply the demand for ties.
Fences ale also enormous consumers 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 forests with scarcely more
thought than they harvest their grain.--
The fences of the United States, people
may not generally know, have cost more
than the lands. and are to-day the most
valuable class Of property, save railroads
and real estate in cities Illinois alone
has S2.000,000 invested in fences. and
they cost annually Sl75,000 for repairs.
10 Nebraska, where excellent herd laws
are in force, the necesr,y for fences OF
the state cost loss in proportion to popula-
ton than in any other in the Union.
The outrageous waste Of timber caused
by the telling Of forests and burning of
the trees to bring the land under cnltiva-
tion goes on still at u fearful rate From
1860 to 1870 40 less than twelve million
acres Of forest were thus wantonly des-
troyed. For fael also vast tracts are lev.
eled of their trees, 1t took 10. 900 acres
of forest to supply Chicago with fuel in
one year, 1871. Our annual decrease Of
forest from all these causes is not far from