Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-02-21
TILE NArroN,s FORESTS.
What nn Authority on the subject
says About y hem.


tays About y Them.
Garden and Forest. january 30th.
The first step in the effort to provide
for the conservation Of the forests on the
national domain should be the With
drawal from sale of all forest lands be-
longing to the nation. II will not be
necessary to preserve and maintain all
these forests permanently, but the extent
OF forest territory which will be required
by practical plan of forest preservation
and management for our western noun
tain regions cannot DO Mt once precisely
determined. A thorough examination OF
these regions, and OF the agricultural
country depending upon them for its
water supply, will be necessary, in order
to show what forests must be retained,
aud what tracts of timber can he put
upon the market without injury to the
important interests involved. Until such
an examination has bssn made, none of
the forest-iands now belonging to the
United States should be sold.
The second step should be to commit
to the United States army the care and
guardianship OF tbs forests belonging to
the nation. There il in time Of peace no
other work OF national defence or pro-
tecs1on SO important as this which the
| army can perform, and II il plain that
under existing conditions the forests on
| the national domain will not bs-indeed
cannot bs--adequately guarded and pro-
tected by any other means. The meas
ures which have been tried, including
those now ia operation, or nominally In
operation, have proved almost entirely
ineffective. Tho forests on the punlio
lands arc pillegsd by ssttiera nnd by the
employees of railroad and mining COM
panies, without sc-uple or limit. Other
4 ipstsuments will have 10 be employed If
the forests are to be preserved. Their
| complete and final destruction with that
OF the soil which sustains them, is, under
the present system, or wnat of system,
only q question of time, and Of o very
short tune
The officers Of the Upites States army
are educated by the nation for its service,
and they constitute tody ot men not
equaled by any other in our country in their
equipment for guarding and protecting
the great forest regions belonging to the
nation. They possess every kind of it.
ness for this work in greater degree than
any other class Of men, and il authorized
by law to undertake this service they
would have tho power and the means
necessary for its performance, while
everybody else is at present inevitably
puwe,less and incapable. As there IL
likely to he very little work for the army
hereafter in the care OF tne Indians, II
will be available for this services OF
guarding the national forests. The work
can be done we'll By thu army, and il
would cost nothing, or very little, while
any other plan would necessarily be both
ineffective and costly. This guardianship
and defence OF the nations forests by the
army OF the nation shoul6 be continued
and maintained until a sufficient number
of adequately trained and equipped
foresters has bean provided by ths ma
tional government for the administration
of complete and permanent system ant
policy for the management OF the forest!
: ON the public domain.
+ This brings us to consider the third
| step. This should be the appointment
; by the President of commission tt
! make thorough examination OF tn
q condition of the forests belonging to IN
nation, and Of fhsir relation to the agri
a cultural interests Of the regions througl
a which the streams flow which have thei
Q sources in these forests, and to report
i with tho facts observed, o comprehensiv
!. plan for the preservation and manage
Il ment of the public forests, including
q system for the training, by the govern
J. r1ent, Of q sufficient nurIbsr OF forester
E2r tbs national f0res.stFvice.
/. The commission should determine Whp
i portion OF the existing forests on fl u
b domain should BE- ..----..-.....y - .ss.ysc
a and in what manner the remainder shoal
o be disposed Of. The national forests ca
]. be SO managed that they will be pei
II petuatly reproduced, and will yield fol
r ever an abundant supply of timber fC
3 the inhabitants of the adjacent couutr,
and q revenue which will more than SUI
- tain the cost of the forest service.
4 national school OF forestry should b
established at suitable place in one
I the great mountain forests on the pubIi
!, lands, and it's equipment should bs
!, thorough and adequate for its purpose
"a is that OF the National Military Acadsu
% at West Point.