The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-10-31
The Banner.
BENNINGTON. VERMONT :
Thursday Afternoon, Oct. 81, 1888.
REPLANT1NG OUR FORESTS.

One OF the owners Oh lhIBe haOt VI
Woodford lands, and Charles Nj, Bliss OF
Bennington, formerly an owner OF some
of these very lands, have for some time
past been studying the subject OF forest
nv, with view of determining whether
it were practicable TO re-stock the par
tally depleted forests of this section.
As the subject is of interest to all lum-
bermen and owners of forest lands, they
thought it advisable to have some con-
sideratIons on the subject presented to
their old neighbors and friends in some
tangible way. The result was that Mr..
Bliss had talk" with them at the
school house in Woodford in the "city"
district on Thursday evening last.
Mr.. Bliss first called attention to the
awakened interest in the subject all over
the country, A Forestry Congress had
Just held an interesting session in Phlla- |
delphia and many States were taking
legislative action looking to the preser-
walton of forest lands. The general gov
eminent too was moving in the matter.
The importance of the forest product oil
the country demanded this. A paper
read before the American Forestry Con-
gress last year showed that this product
amounted in value throughout the
United States to more than that OF any
other that came from the earth, whether
from the soil or from mines, under the
soil.
The devastation that results from for
est removal also demanded legislative at
tention to forest preservation, A de-
scriptiou of Bucharia in 1926 was read,
showing it to be then a land flowing
with milk and honey, a perfect paradise,
and also description of the same coun
try In 1875, after the complete removal
of the forests, showing it to be barren
waste unable to support man or beast.
Mr.. Bliss mentioned a stream in YER
mont that in 1854, and for some time at
forwards, he never found dry in the dry
eat season, which now is always dry
whenever the water is low anywhere IN
that section of the State. The forests
on its borders and at its head waters
have been cut off, but they are probably
growing up again and then tne
stream will flow rs heretofore. Wheth
er, however the restoration OF our Tor
eats could be carried to such an extent
as to give the former water power to our
mill streams and raise our navlgaole riv-
ers to their former flow of water in dry
seasons was a question. Probably IL
would not be practicable to do SO, But
manufacturers could help themselves by
building reservoirs for storing water
against dry season. This was COM
mon practice and could be and doubtless
would be continued. Such reservolrs,t
numerous enough would raise the wa
ters of navigable rivers below them.
There would be no need, Mr.. Bliss said,
of the Belle Horton, between Troy and
Albany. nor would the Albany steam
boats be hindered below that city, if all
the tributaries of the Hudson, within
gun shot of one of which the little gath.
eripg of lumbermen were assembled,
were studded with reservoirs to aid the
mills below them. 1t was for the inter-
est of the dwellers on the banks of navi'
gable rivers and for the interests of the
commerce these streams bore to and
from the sea, to both encourage the pro-
lection of the forests and the building OF
reservoirs to make up in water supply
what the forests failed to reserve. The
three interests, that of the lumbermen,
of the manufacturer on the stream and
of the riparian cities below were identl-
cal and il these worked in harmony
great results would be effected, The
owners of forests should be induced to
perpetuate them and at the same time
get an income from them all the while;
the manufacturers should look after the
storage of water, and the navigators OF
rivers and those living on their borders,
should see that these two other interests
are induced to SO look after their own as
to preserve theirs.
State ownership of forest lands is rec
commended in many quarters as a reme-
DIV for the evil of forest destruction. MIR.
Bliss had little faith in that, though he
would favor it wherever practicable
Thus. where the lands in the Adiron-
dacks had been abandoned to the State
for taxes, he would have the State keep
them and restore them to forests. Where
the State could also acquire by purchase
at very low rate, that might be done.
But the State could, by its educational
institutions instruct in forestry. There
were many lumbermen and farmers VINO
would treat their forests and woodlands
very differently had they the informa-
ton that the State might easily give
them, The State might very properly
employ a State forester with county or
district foresters in cooperation with
him for series of years, or until we &C
uuired fair knowledge of forestry, for
we are very ignorant of the subject.
There are however, few such men now
and they would have to be educated and
trained for the business. But very few
wears would produce such a body OF
young men, were they demanded. own.
ers of large tracts of forest lands could
we'll afford to employ such now, were
they to be had.
The State could also exempt from tax.
alton, and for much longer period than
five years, lands set one side TO grow up
into timber. If not that, 1t certainly
could planted forest. Vermont, and it
is said to be the only State that does it,
now exempts saw mills under certain
conditions. That is, it offers premium
for forest destruction. This whole busl-
ness of exemption Mr.. Bliss considered OF
doubtful constitutionality, but If it were
lawful 10 destroy, he thought it certain
ly not unlawful to save.
1t was possibly practicable however,
he thought, for State like New YORK,
for instance, to take possession OF a
stream lying wholly within her borders
and try ar experiment In forestry and
in engineering of sufficient magnitude
and Of long enough duration to deter
mine what the combined results Of these
on navigable river like the Hudson
would be, and, what is all important, |
whether it would be practicable or ad-
vIsable even if results were found to be
good. Lands could be taken by right of
eminent domain to restore to forest. |
Reservoirs could be made, and the mill
owners on the stream charged an annual
rental for the increased water power, |
that is, if they should use the increase
and should profit thereby, as most of
them would. If, in the short space of
fifty years populous section of coun-
try has been changed from garden TO
desert by the removal of its forests, it |
is surely not impossible to determine
with much more certainty than guess,
in much less time than that, what could |
be done by the work of beginning to re-
store them, especially if the work be sup |
plemented by the storage of water in the
mountains newly covered by these in
cipient forests.
Mr.. Bliss held that the lumberman
was not responsible for the result OF for
est destruction. He had as good right
to take off his crop of trees, as the farmer
had to take off his of grass. II the com
munity suffered, it was the business of
the community to apply. the remedy and
no denunciation of the lumberman for
using his own property in his own way
was in order or even decent.
But these forests in Southwestern YER
mont were not yet destroyed. Indeed
the forests of the State are. reported to
be on the increase. Are they, though, AS
sources OF water supply or as producers
of a valuoble lumber product Mr..
Bliss thought not. To the eye they are
atiII maonificent reaching miles on |