The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-04-07
TIMBER DESTRUCTION.
A Vital Northwestern Interest-Rapid d
nudatiOn Of our Western Forests.

/ nudation Of our Western Forests.
AT the annual meeting of the Lum-
bermen's Exchange in Chicago few
days ago, Mr.. G. G. Thompson, vice
president Of the exchange. stated that
it has. been estimated that the in
creased demand in the production Of
lumber since 1850 has been at the rate
of not less than fifty per cent. for
every five years. ''Should this in
crease continue, hesays, 81 calculate
that our forests must suffer annihila-
ton within the next twenty years.
This fact can be demonstrated from
actual estimates, which the time of
this article will not permit of discuss.
ing. Year by year, as our country be-
comes populated, greater distances are
covered by long stretches of railroads
IN every direction, not only away from
but towards and into our pine forests.
as It for no other purposes than their
destruction. A demand has but re-
Gently sprung up for our choice pine
IN foreign lands, so that the product,
mainly confined to two States, is a
staple of the world, while the bound
aries of our home shipments are the
Atlantic coast on the east, the Pacific
on the west, and the gulf of Mexico
on the souch. The natural increase of
ou1 population fully justiies the
prediction that the year 1900 will find
our vast forests of soft pine exhausted
unless other woods are introduced for
their protection
TO many, such statements seem alb
surd, and the writer's who have ven
tured to make them have been SUBJ
]ected to contempuous ridicule.
Among the few papers in the country
that have endeavored to inform the
people on this subject, and have raised
the cry Of alarm, is the Northeastern
L1tnl6ernan. It has made the asser-
ton that s. the timber supply of the
Northwest is becoming so rapidly ex-
hausted that within the next ten years
something like a timber famine may
be looked for.'' For making this as.
sertion it has been sharply criticised,
and, to show that it is not mistaken,
publishes statistics that are in large
part official and will appear in the
Forthcoming report of the United
States census. These statistics were
prepared in 1880. They include the
states of Michigan, Minnesota, and
Wisconsin, and were prepared under
the direction of Mr.. H. G. Putnam of
Eau Claire, Wis, assisted by many
Of the leading practical lumberman of
those states. .-a-
MINNESOTA HAS BEEN CREDITED
by popular estimate with possessing
10000, 100000 feet of lumber. but these
statistics show it to have only little
over 6,000,000,000 feet, as follows:
Rainy lake and tributaries. ...... 800, OOO,O 900
Red river and tributaries. -. $500. CO.,, 200, 900
St. Louis and Cloquet rivers, etc. ,5U, 900 900
Mississippi river and tributaries 2, 300 600, 900
North shore of Lake SUPERIOR. 500 ,UUO, 900
Total. ......... {, $50 900 900
OF the amount in Wisconsin esti-
mates have been from eighty to one
hundred billion feet, but the official
statistics show it, distributed by dis
tricts, to be-:
st. Croix river and south shore ..s.
of Lake Superior. ...........6 5000, OOO,COO
Chippewa river and tributaries. IL, SUI, DOC, ~
Wisconsin river and tributaries IL ,OOO, UUU, $50
Lake Superior, districts east OF
Ea ran ef tha Wisconsin rv:r S $4,000
Total. ............. 40, SOC, 100000
The statistics for Michigan are said
to have been prepared from informa.
ton furnished by not less than 100 of
the best informed lumbermen in the
state, and they show the timber area
to be as follows:
Upper peninsula east of Chicago
q Northwestern railway. 49,. 1900 ,00O, 900
Upper peninsula west of Chicago
d Northwestern railway. 1000 900 ,00O
1OCal.. .o0,OUU,UoO,OUU
The aggregate cut and destruction
of pine in these three states is about
8,OOO,O 100000 feet year and, as the
total resources of the three states are
9l,65O,0OO,0OO feet, it is easy to see
that in the assertion that g within the
next ten years something like a tim
Der famine is to be looked for the
Lun,bern,an was not far from being
correct. These facts are important,
and should waken those having the
power to check the destruction of
forests to the necessity for some ac-
ton. There is large part of our
forest area ruthlessly and needlessly
laid waste. Some of it is on public land,
and is stolen from the people; and
to cover UP the theft of the salable
timber, millions of feet of uncommer-
cial timber are destroyed. Much of
the stolen timber is. transported to
and sold in foreign lands. It should
be kept in this country to supply our
future demands. It is to be hoped
the new administrator will give this
question earnest attention, and Ell.
! deavor to break up the timber-steal-
ing business, and that the president
will use his influence to secure the
planting OF forests. A timber famine
would be greater calamity than
most people suppose---how great we
can only appreciate by the experience
Of those countries which have suffered,
and the deserts that mark the place
where they once fourished.
The Commerce OF the World.
Little does the world think what
! tremendous capital is required to
carry on it's travel, traffic. and COM