The Osceola times., 1882-02-25
Protection 70 Ttmber.

In some cantons OF Switzerland there
is law fOrbidding the destruction of a
tree without planting another to take its
place. This law is an outgrowth OF ne
cessity. 1t has been scientifically dem.
Onstrated that the increase in violent
storms, inundations and landslides in
Switzerland, scattering death and de.
struction on all sides. is due to deforest-
ing the mountains.
Gradually the timber has disappeared
until little remains, except on the high
slopes Of the mountains, and that little
is of inferior size and quality. Unless
the process is arres ed, the mountains OF
Switzerland will present as bald an ap.
pearance as those Alps which divide
France from Italy; and nothing more
desolate and drear outside the steppes of
Asia, or the desert ot Africa, presents it.
self to the eve of the traveller.
Switzerland, compared with the area
of the United States, is but a speck, but
If we have more acreage and wider
stretches Of timbered lands, we are also
consuming them more rapidly.
a glance at the series of forestry bull
letins issued by the census bureau is suf-
licient to alarm one for the future tim
Der supplies OF the United States. The
maps show the original extent of forest
lands and the area denudcd by the re-
morseless AK of the lumbprman. Take
Michigan, the great pine state of the
Northwest. More than three-fourths of
the land, including the upper peninsula,
has been stripped of its timber. A few
statistics viii show that the amount of
white pine remaining on the Saginaw
and its tributaries, and in the basins Of
streams flowing into Lakes Huron and
Michigan, is estimated at 10000 O0O,O 600
feet, board measure. In the single year
ending with May, 1850, 1, ,06S, ia, 900 feet
were cut. At this rate the supply will
be exhausted in less than eight years.
OF the same timber on the upper penn-
sula there were 6OOO,0O0,OOO remaining
in round numbers, and of this 32S, i3s,-
600 feet cut in one year. From Menom-
inee and Delta counties the merchanta-
ble pine, says the bulletin, has been al
most entirely removed. The dcstruc-
ton Of the hard woods has been on the
same exhaustive scale.
The maps show thot along every navi-
gable stream, and on the rivers of the
lakes the timber has all been cut away,
and each year the lumbermen have TO 90
back further into the interior for their
supplies and the cost is increased by the
greater difficulty in getting the timber
to market.
Wisconsin has only 6,lOOOOO.OOD feet
remaining of white pine. In the census
year j4O.9J1 600 feet were cut. How
long before Wisconsin will cease to fur
nish a supply Of this valuable timber?
She has still 3,SlO, 900 acres of hard wood
forest: but the rayages in that are hardly
less than in the pine lands.
Minnesota still has 1900 COO feet
of pine, and some 775, 100000 of mixed
pine aud hard wood 20 boast Of, bat the
cut during the census year was llj,777,
600 feet, and each year as the supplies in
Wisconsin and Michigan dwiudle the
demand upon Minnes0ta's resources will
increase.
In short, unless something is done 10
encourage the replanting Of forests of
pine and hard wood it will not be TWEEN
ty years before there will be a timber
famine in the land, with prices so eX-
trayagant as to put an end to building in
wood and to the use of wood as fuel.
We need not dwell on the effect OF
this deforestry on climate and tempera-
ture. This has been repeatedly done in
these columns. 1t is the universal test.
mony OF mankind that it results in dim
mutton cf rainfall, the dwindling away
OF creeks and navirable streams, and an
increase in sudden and devastating
storms and violent hurricanes. We
have the history of the OLD world before
us, and if we do not profit by the warn
ing example we deserve TO be punished
for such a crime against nature Cipcia-
matt Commercial