Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-27
FOREST DESTRuCTJOy.

EOhEspL bEDi EloOiiONs
A committee OF the American For
estry congress, OF which Governor
Beaver, OF Pennsylvania, is the chair
man, presented TO President Harrison
a few days ago, an address regarding
the condition OF the public timber or
forest lands, and the pressing need that
exists for radical change in their man
agemcnt. The congress, at its last ses-
sion, expressed its disapproval OF the
present method OF disposing of the
public lands, and especially the timber
lands. The address presents the rea-
sons for this disapproval. 1t recites
that hitherto these lands have been
disposed OF on the same terms as other
lands not mineral, no account being
taken OF the value of the timber, and
thus the government has parted with
millions of acres at price, in many in
stances, insufficient for their survey.
The purchasers of such lands have en-
riched themselves by converting the
trees, the growth OF centuries, into
lumber, and after gathering the rich
harvest, have abandoned the land as
comparatively worthless. Large areas
OF public timber lands have also been
dcnuded by individuals and cor
porations without the preliminary pay
ment of even the small pittance re-
quired by the government to secure the
fee simple of the land.
The address quotes from the records
OF the land office for seven years, which
show that in that time the value of the
timber reported stolen was over thirty
six million dollars, OF which amount
less than half million was recovered,
sum about equal to the appropriation
for protective services. The great loss
thus sustained by the government, and
it is believed many timber thefts are
not reported, is certainly very serious
matter, to say nothing of the injurious
consequences upon climate, rainfall,
and in other ways of the reckless de-
structlon of the forests, and demands
stringent remedial legislation. This
was suggested in bill formulated by
by the forestry congress and presented
TO both houses of congress u year ago,
the most important provision OF which
was for the withdrawal of all public
timber lands from sale or disposal, with
view to their examination and classif
cation. 1t was proposed in this measure
that classified lands, chiefly valuable
for agricultural purposes, though wholly
or partially timbered, were to be
open to entry under the homestead or
other laws, an appraised sum being
paid for the timber, while timbered
lands on the headwaters Of streams and
other such lands, unfit for agriculture,
were not to be sold. but the timber on
them to be disposed of from time to
time, under the direction of officers of
the government, in such manner as to
retain the forests as such in perpetuity.
The zeal of the forestry congress in
this matter is certainly to be COM
mended and encouraged, for unless
some such legislation as it proposes for
the preservation OF the public timber
lands is secured, in another generation
there will be no forests to protect. 1t is
estimated that last year thirty billion
feet of lumber of all kinds were taken
from our forests, and it is believed that
the annual consumption equals twice
the amount of materials supplied by the
annual growth of the forests. 1t is
therefore not difficult to understand
what must be the result allowing the
present condition of affairs to continue.
European governments carefully pro-
tect their forests, and the wisdom they
have acquired in this respect we can
not judlciously ignore.