St. Landry democrat., 1882-03-25
the Census Office Forestry Bulletins.

The Census Office Forestry Bulletins.
Statistics of the immense business
carried on at our principal lumber mar
kets have been often quoted OF late
years to call attention to the sweeping
destruction of our forests. The story OF
this criminal improvidence has never
been set forth so graphically as it is in
.the maps of Prof. Sargent's Forestry
Bulletins, issued by the Census Office.
The maps of Michigan, Wisconsin and
Minnesota, for example, show with
startling distinctness how rapidly the
pine woods Of the lake region are melt
ing before the ak, and the figures ap-
pended enable us to calculate with rea-
sonabie accuracy how long the devasta-
ton can continue. When this area is
swept clean our white pine supply is
practically exhausted. The figures for
Maine have not been received, but it
may be assumed that the great forests
of that State, which have been preyed
upon by an army of loggers for so many
years, can yield henceforth little more
than enoug to meet the home demand.
New England has squandered her pine,
and so have New York and Pennsylva-
MIA and now we are drawing upon the
final reserve. -
In the three States named Prof. Sar-
gent estimates that. eighty-two billion
feet (board measlire) Of Inerchantable
pine remain standing, while the~eat for
the census year ending May 81, 1880,
amounted to over seven billion feet. 1t
must be assumed that the lumber mar
keted every year will increase as the
country grows, SO that it is safe to as
sert that when another census comes to
be taken there viii be no pine forest re-
maining-or at least none Of sufficient
extent to make any show on the map.
The lake region has been so thoroughly
explored that there remains no chance
of discovering any considerable' bodies
of timber which have not been included
in the count. We know Just what we
have, we know that this must soon
l.. lost, and we know, too, that
no provision has been made for any fu-
ture supply. We know that the great
brown areas of Prof. Sargent's maps.
which are so rapidly encroaching upon
the forest green, represent territory
upon which nothing is left but stumps.
9 Small, trees and great have been indis-
S1duS HbCIou. A%o JOuhSS
trees have been left to grow up to their
full girth and stature The lumber has
been sawed in the most extravagant
way, as if the purpose had been to get
rid of the forest as quickly as possible.
Timber has been squared in the woods,
leaving the ground covered with dry
chips and score blocks to feed the fires
which have desolated whatever the ak
and saw may have CHANGED to leave and
burned out of the soil its capacity to
support pine growth.
1t is useless now to mourn over what
has been done, although it is plain to
see that the supply of needed pine could
have been sustained indefinitely in
growing forests if trees below certain
standard size had been left. But we
have forests of other timber trees in the
Pacific States, of yellow pine in the
South, and hard wood in considerable
quantities scattered all over the Union.
The warning sounded by this report
ought to awaken public sentiment and
bring about some concerted action for
checking. this wanton waste OF the Ma
tional wealth. If owners of woodland
fully realized what theirproperty would
be worth few years hence, lumber
would not be exported at price which
barely pays for the labor of preparing
it for market. The Government,
too, might be induced Ito throw
some restrictions about the sale
of its timber land. y And if private own.
.ers and Government officers were prop
erly instructed, we might hope for the
\ adoption of some conservative policy,
under which our remaining forests
could be preserved to yield rich annn
al harvest for an indefinite period. i
is plain that if our forests are swept
away at the rate Of millions of acres
every year, the white pine is only one
of our trees which will be practically
exterfninated 1t should be remem.
bered, too, that the direct pecuniary
loss to the country IS only one Of the
evils entailed by this destruction. Il
seems to be established that climate,
soil and health must suffer whenever
the ratio Of the forest area to the cleared
land Of any country is reduced below q
fixed limit. The frequent floods and
drouths from which we suffer may be
put in evidence to prove that we have
already transgressed the danger line
NJ Y. Tribune. @
A COntraband Mule.