Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-02-08
A New Departure.

In speaking OF forest nres anu lnelr
causes, and also Of the protection of
standing timber, the Northwestern
Lumberman says:
What steps can be taken toward
bringing to the notice of government
the necessity of protection against for
est fires 1t is a question that has a
direct bearing, not only on the interests
Of every owner Of pine lands, and
manufactures, but every wholesaler as
well. The interests of these classes
are inimicable, and any action by gov
eminent toward the protection of the
pine that forms the stock in trade of
each, would be of mutual advantage.
individuals have labored to interest
our law makers in the question Of fire
protection, as well as forest protection
from other sources, but with little sue
cess. We believe the voice of the Ex-
change would command attention, and
attention is the first thing desired.
Some Of the States have made provis-
ions for the cultivation of trees, and it
would be eminently proper for govern
ment to arrange for the protection of
trees.
We believe there is no lumberman
who owns pine lands who will disagree
with us. A man who purchases timber
lands is Of course the owner of them,
but it does not follow that ownership
should give him the liberty to do with
them as he likes. If his timber patch
is isolated let him operate as he desires.
IF his leavings are permitted to ac-
cumulate and dry, and at last be the
means Of his standing timber being de
stroyed, he alone will suffer. But
when his timber stands on land ada
cent to other of the same kind, or if in
case his possessions were swept by fire
it would hazard the homes and pro-
perty Of others, the question takes an
other form. The same law should hold
good that is forced in other directions.
Under good municipal management a
finder box is not permitted to be con-
structed in a city where the burning of
it would hazard the property of Others.
BY common consent man must pay
some respect to the rights of others,
but in the logging business, he does not
If he step over the line and steal few
trees from his neighbor the law stands
ready to make him suffer penalty, but
it is in reality small offense when
compared with the course he does pur-
sue-a course to prevent which there is
no law. 1t is the absence Of such a
law, and enforcement, that so often
makes pine lands risky property to
own. A single winters operations, as
logging is now conducted, forms a good
excuse for the flames, if once started,
to make havoc that, while deplorable,
might easily have been prevented.
When the ground is covered with dry
tree tops, fire finds food to feed upon,
and gets such Roadway that it sweeps
through forests which it would not ex-
cept for the force that it had already
obtained To do away with these con-
ditions would require considerable
work, but no work could be done in the
woods that would pay better. As proof
of this we may instance the loss in
Canada by forest fires for the year re-
Gently ended. In the Ottawa valley
it has been estimated at S5,000,000,
and in the entire province as high as
Sl0,000,000. That amount Of money
would pay for a vast amount of labor,
and small proportion of it expended
at the proper time would have prevent
ed the loss Of the balance.
1t is fact that most men learn soon
er or later that there is cause under
lying every effect. With no material
for fire to feed upon there will be no
fire. 1t is not an impossible thing to
get this material out Of the way. The
tree tops could be piled into heaps and
burned under the supervision of men
who would see that the fire did not
spread. There are windfalls which
leave vast areas in shape for conAagra-
ton. In this territory the match of
the careless hunter or woodsman will,
to the end Of time, for aught we know,
set the dead timber ablaze, but beyond
this forest fires need not be extensive,
or occur often.
No State in which the lumber bust
ness has been extensively carried on
has suffered so little from forest fires as
Maine. The reason is very apparent,
and is due to a species of forest pre-
servation which is practiced nowhere
else in America. The larger trees are
cut, leaving the smaller ones to shade
the earth, and thereby SO much humid
ity is retained as to make the running
of FIRE next to impossible. We do
not make this statement, however, with
the expectation that such course will
be pursued in Michigan, Wisconsin OF
Minnesota until timber is much scarcel
than il is now. 1t shows the wisdom
of the Maine lumbermen, nevertheless
and gives them solid foundation tc
st,rd upon whom thov assert that thor'
a., l.. ,....L 4 .