Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-21
A QUESTION OF IMPORTANCE

The recent publication by a Washington |
department Of series of papers upon
forest culture has served to rcawaken in
terest i'll the subject of forestry-a topic
that should have carly attention and
prompt action in the next Legislature of |
California. The paper most thoughtful is
that by y. II. Eglcston, whoconcludes that |
We cannot trust to the private owner of
lands to plant trees under such |
information of the importance of the act |
Is he now possesses. He must be educated |
to the great necessity, gain and beneficial |
influence of tree-growing to incite him to
the reform. The relation forest growth
has TO health, to equalization Of climate, to
rainfall, to floods, to river and stream
maintenance, to irrigation, to earth yield,
etc. must be set forth so clearly, and with
such iteration that men will not dare to
neglect their duty longer Denudation of
our forest slopes without restriction will
take from out the classification of tillable
lands in twenty years greater acreage
than is now utilized for production in the
whole Mississippi valley That is, forest
destruction has now reached such a stage
that if continued for twenty years to come
our forests within occupied areas, and along
headwaters, viii he SO reduced that rivers
Will cease to he fed by springs brooks and
creeks, except in seasons Of great rainfall,
and then disastrous floods will prevail by
reason Of non-rctention by The soil Of
the falling waters. Excessive heat will
supplant an equable temperature; lands
viii become parched under brazen skies
the soil will fail in yigor, and the agricul-
tural yield will steadily decline. Mr. n.
c. Read, one Of the Government cssayists,
holds that when, in a wide area ofagricult-
ural land one fourth is retained in forests,
the residue will, year by year, yield more
than the whole would if cleared and sub
jccteJ to high cultivation. There is no
subject Of higher importance to the people
of the Sacramento and San joaquin valleys
than this Of forestry. These great stretches
of desirable land would invite larger pop
ulation Is soon again, maintain it better,
upbuild the State more surely, and foster
all branches Of trade more literally and Ger
tainly, il throughout their length and
breadth one acre in every ten now bare,
were planted 70 timber trees Of rapid
growth Suppose this to be done;
in from five to ten years We should have
in these noble valley parks tree-growth
that would invite cloud-moisturc and rain.
mitigate summer heat, enlarge the life of
streams. promote health and beautify and
enhance the value of all the remaining
acreage. But at the same time, 10 reduce
the liability TO floods, TO foster an equitable
temperature and to stimulate the soil TO re-
tain moisture the wooded slopes of the
Sierras should be under such guardianship
as will prevent undue telling of timber,
and the destruction of new growth coming
on by stock, fires or vandalism. II is no
imaginative picture to sketch the valleys of
California as becoming trebly desirable for
homes within decade, if in that time for
estry has proper attention, and this meas
ure Of dcsirability would be exclusive and
independent of all other factors OF progress
and Improvement.
Mr.. Baker, another of the essayists re-
ferring TO the destruction Of forests in the
mountains of Washington Territory, Ore
gon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming and Colorado, says; Every
acre of the forests which clothe these
mountains and shelter the springs in which
Iar-c rivers head, ought not only TO be
Withdrawn from sale or entry, but pro-
tected from thieving individuals and cor
porations, and also from fires. The de
struction Of these forests, authorized