Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-03

taken out for lumber Is so small compare |
lively that the natural growth of our forest 3
Is sufficient to replace IL, and more but ii Ia
the enormous amount of wood for fuel an.
nualy demanded by our railroads that causes
the dcnida'ion of our forests. Such mat.
ter will strike most laymen AS a queer one
for legislative Intervention but the eminent
lawyer who is member Of the commission
has, We understand, given it as his opinion that
the Legislature has n perfect right to make
and enforce the prohibition alluded to-
Whether the Legislature cn be persuaded TO
do so, is of course quite another question.
Many farmers who own timber land woult.
doubtless object to such legislation but after
ALL they ought 10 see that the preservation
of the forests will in the long run enurc great
ly to their benefit. giving them advantages
which no merely temporary gain could for
one moment be compared with. In this
connection we may say that II prominent
aud wealthy citizen OF Addison county
thousand acres of land in that county for
no other purpose than to preserve the forests
which now flourish upon 1t from destruction.
Had the State a few more men as actively in
terested in the subject there would be no
need of Forestry Commission.
The commissioners, Furthermore, are con-
siderng the desirablity of further restrictive
legislation and of Offering, in some form, a
bounty on tree-planting. or course they
have as yet formed no defintc plans, and
we give this brief summary Of some OF the
suggestions presented to them in the hope
that it may elicit a discussion which will be
Of service and interest. Asst the commissions
ers themselves, we can only repeat what we
have before said, in substancc-t that each Of
them is much interested in this subject, and
one or two of them, perhaps ALL have made
it study TO greater or less extent; that
they can be relied upon TO give careful al
tcntion TO the matter committed 10 them; tc
obtain the needed information and place il
clearly before the Legislature, while any re-
commentators OF needed legislation or 9TH
or measures for the protection of our forests,
from such commission will come with
very great weight and that their report car
not fail to be document of great public in
terest and value.
That it is high time the State took some
decided action in this important matter oil
the preservation of its forests is evident tC
every thinking man. 1t was nearly forty
| 4. u ;,, H.,
address, said:
"The changes which these causes the
stripping of our forest have wrought in the
the physical geography of Vermont withir
single generation are too striking to have
escaped the attention of any observing per
son and every middc-aged man, who re
visits his birthplace after few years alb
scnce, looks upon another landscape thar
that which formed the theatre of his youth
full tolls and pleasures. The signs of artificial
Improvement are mingled with the tokens O
improvdent waste, and the bald and barrier
hills, the dry beds of the smaller streams, tht
lraviues furrowed ont by the torrents O
Spring. and the diminished thread of in
terval that skirts the widened channel o.
the rivers, seem sad substitutes for the pleas
ant groves and brooks and broad meadows
of his ancient paternal domain"
That was before the days Of railroads; ant
if the denudation of our forests effected sucl
changes then, how much greater mus
be the changes now going on. Our white
pine forests were long ago practically ex
hausted, and are represented only by com
paralively small amount of second growth
Our spruce forests are going the same way
The census of 1880 reports that during thu
previous year nearly two hundred million
feet of this timber was cut. And to judg,
from accounts in our State exchanges o
numbering operations, an increased amount o
lumber of all kinds has been cut every sue
ceeding year. At this rate, the State viii
be dcforested within very few years.