The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-09-15
THE DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS.

We are again suffering from what
threatens to become an annual vista
tion. With a temperature of only So
degrees during the MONDAY hours, the
air is as dead and oppressive as during
the extreme heats of July; the streets
and shores seem to smoIder under
vail of dull blue haze; the sky is parti-
ally obscured, but gives birth to no
rain bringing cloud, and an unaccount-
able lassitude and depression are felt
by all who are sensitive to atmosphere
ic influences. From the west and
Northwest, over the intervening hills
and lowlands, the smokes of burning
forests drift down upon us, stifling a
portion of the ozone which remains To
us after the summer 3routh. and ren
derinS oar atmosphere impure and suf
locating. The extent to which sueb
eonfiagrations spread their influence is
net generally appreciated. Sometimes
large forest fire in Southern New
Jersey will for days obscure the air of
all Pennsylvania east of the Alleghe
MES. The smoke of the great Chicago
fires of 1871 reached the Atlantic coast
In about 90 hours, still carrying with it
the strong smell of burned grain and
goods. The burning of woods in Can
ada is felt on the shore of Chesapeake
Bay.
This periodic recurrence of forest
fires is made possible by the prolonged
spells of dry weather which have fol-
lowed the wanton destruction of so
much of our native woodland. II
matters little practically, therefore
whether the former are accidental or
the work of incendiaries; the original
cause remains the same. The shrink
age of rivers and streams has become
universally apparent; and equally so is
the increase of great floods aud inun-
datlons, whereby Nature violently re-
stores the equilibrium. The propor-
tlon OF forests to cultivated land. which
Is necessary in order to preserve the
normal rainfall, is now tolerabIy well
settled; and the fact that in mapy
parts oil the country, that proportion
has already been violated, has long
been evident. While we have an
annual season of drouth, wo are sure
to have an annual burning of forests.
No system of guards or corps of organ
lzed lire fighters will be so effectual to
prevent the latter as the simple pre-
vention OF the former. In Europe, the
Governments have long recognized
the subject as one of common interest
to the whole population, and have
taken the forests under their protec-
tlon- To this complexion we shall also
probably be forced to come at last.
The power of forests to attacts the
precipitation of moisture, we may add.
is modified-and to a much greater ex-
tent than is generally supposedly
the character of the trees. The exper-
iments which have been made in France
show that the rainfall is much more
abundent, and the springs and streams
much larger, in regions where the
forests are of neciduous trees. than
where they are evergreen. Some OBJ
servers even assert that a spring will
dry up if grove of coniferous trees be
planted around it, We notice. i'm this
country, that the pine will flourish ina
very dry, sandy soil; but we have not
whether the pine may not
be partly responsible for the dryness.
In Virginia, and parts of the other
older States, the native forests of oak.
hickory, and other deeiduous trees sare
succeeded by spontaneous growth of
pine. IL the latter be not actually
drouth creating, it is certainly far more
and the prevention of
change in the character OF our forests
nay be no unimportant step. We can
'nly, at present, suggest the subject to
'ur readers. Its vast Importance, and
he imminent necessity Of some form
VI action, need no discussion.