Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-08-11
3Mistrllanu.
Timber in Foreign Countries.
AN INSTRUCTIVE SKETCH.

AN INSTRUCTIVE SKETCH.
Dining the spring of 1874 the British
Government addressed circular to the
CONSERVATIVES of Great Britain in the
principal timber producing countries OF
Turopc, in the United States and Brazil. in
Cuba and Honduras, asking for informa-
ton as to the production and consumption
of timber: information desired more par
ticularly by the commissioners of our
woods and forests.
Fifteen questions were asked. These
related to the sorts of trees grown in each
country, and uses made of each kind, the
ownership of forest lands, the causes OF
increase or decrease in the acreage of for
IS. the quantity of wood cut annually.
and he amount exported and consumed
at home Inquiries were also made as to
the ascertained influence Of forests on To-
cal climate, rainfall, floods, etc, and par
ticuIarlv in Switzerland. whether any
steps have been taken to replant the sides
# the mountains, so as TO stay the action
Of the rain in denuding the soil
Various reports on all the foregoing
topics have now been received, from
(which we may here Gull a few brief ex-
cract>. commenting the work itself to the
,rcfll pcru-al of all who take an interest
in forest preservation, a subject full of
importance, not only because timber is
INDISPENSABLE to human existence. but be-
cause we can point to Palestine, to Spain,
and probably to many regions in North
Africa. to show how the gradual destruc-
ton OF forests will change the character
If country and its inhabitants forever
In Bohemia, for the past ten years. n
species of worm, which seems to eat like
IN epidemic. has been causing great de-
vastation in the forests. The entire side
Of range of hills may be seen some
times laid bare of timber by the inroads
of this fatal worm disease.
The diminution of forests in parts of
Australia, and more especially in IIunga-
" has been followed by baneful conse-
qucnccs, such as long droughts and tre-
mrndouS winds, which fill the air with
1ncca>ing clouds of dust and considerably
increase pulmonary disease in towns
which have become totally unsheltered
Pc~th, Prcsburg and Vienna are now per-
trctly ntolcrable during three parts of the
wear from this cause.
At Rio JancirO, thunder storms. former
'y Of daily occurrence. are now rare; and
tire cause is supposed to be the destruction
If the forests which surrounded the town,
as ncw road, have been made. Hence. in
50. yellow fever visited the place, and
IHe never left it since. though trees are
being bu~ily llanted in almost every
street
In IIcsse and Baden greater prudence
has been displayed. Four-tlhhs of the
former Duchy and one third of the latter
are wooded, and the law requires that eve
" thirty years land which has once be
Il. L.,
return to its original employment.
In Sweden the timber resources are i'm
mcn>c; Iapland has never been surveyed
hut j. rcckoned. with the northern provin-
cr, to contain some 3O.O0O,0OO acres of
forest. Unfortunately, the unceasing and
,normous demands for wood, especially
i'r charcoal, house building, and lucifer
matches. is telling rapidly on the product
tive power of the forests this fact is of
world wide importance, for there is hard
iy a maratime country, except China and
Japan, to which Swedish wood in some
form does not find its way At last in
1874, a law was passed forbidding the fell
ing of any trees less than seven inches in
diameter, at sixteen feet from the ground.
his statute applies only to the Bothnian
forests. If extended to all Sweden, as
j, probably will be. it may greatly affect
tie mining interests of Great Britain, for
j, will cut off the supply of small timber
known rs pit props"
In Switzerland there is now Il sylvan
society, and great pains are being taken
10 induce people to re-plant cleared and
dcnuded mountain slopes, SO rs to prevent
tire damage which land slides, floods and
:,valanches have of late years so frequent
is inflicted. Switzerland also has an in
dUstry-that of wood carving-which she
had made peculiarly her own, although it
WAS not introduced into the Bernese Ober-
a.nl before 1915. This wood carving an
lually usually uses up an enormous guam
INV of wood of all sorts.
In Cuba. there are abudnant forests
which must have increased since 1858,
when the insurrectiOn broke out. for there
l.t~ been very little cutting of late years :;
ou,. we might expect where the Span
-,ll> are concerned. no more care is taken,
uo les recklcssness is shown by the farmers
who rut wood for their use in Cuba than
any other timber clad part of the globe.
= .l4I ItI iFdttr