St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-12-18
FORESTRY.
Some Remarks on the Vermont Sffua
ton by Joseph III. BaffeU.

Some Remarks the Vermont Sifua-
ton by Joseph III. BaffeU.
The importance of scientific for
estry must come to be recognized by
Vermont and just but strict laws to
secure the best results be enacted if
Vermont is to retain the eminence
which has been given it by its green
clad hills, its sparkling water courses,
and its many natural beauties. The
denudation of our forests is going
on so rapidly as to give cause for
great apprehension and year after
year privileges are granted to COM
panies to continue by a shOrt-sighted
policy, which benefits a few at the
expense of the many, this wantOn
destruction of the trees which should
be cultivated as carefully as any
crop in the state, since they contain
more wealth. directly and Indirectly
than any other In view of these
facts it gives the Caledonian pleasure
speech by the Hon. ]. H. Battell of
MiddIebury at a hearing before the
committee on corporations on a bill
granting a special franchise to the
Fall Mountain Paper company.
Mr.. Battell spoke in opposition to
the bill and his remarks bearing on
the forestry question, aside from the
merits of this particular bill, which
has now become ancient history, are
here quoted:
pass now to the far more impor-
tant branch of this subject; that is,
the question of preserving and a the
same time utilizing our forests. 1t is
obvious that if the Legislature is to
grant franchises to great corpora
lions, giving them the unrestricted
right to cut off the woods and run
them down the streams, the time is
close at hand when there will be no
forests either to preserve or utilize.
But if there is any feasible plan or
system whereby the state might at
once secure the reasonable use of the
mature timber by the people, and the
preservation and growth of the
younger trees, thereby keeping the
mountain forests intact for a per-
petual lumber supply, that system
merits the deepest consideration );
and the Legislature would not be
wise to take steps that would tend
to prevent its introduction. This
matter is of deep interest to every
citizen of Vermont, and it would be
well if full expression of an aroused
and intelligent public opinion there
on could be had before your com
mittee, to aid you in arriving at a
wise and Just decision in the matter
before you.
The great obstacle to progress in
the direction of preservati has lain
in the fact that no middle course has
been suggested. The forest owners
have wanted the proceeds of them
and have either cut them over them
selves or sold them to others for that
purpose. 1t is only recently that our
more remote mountain supplies have
been called for, but now the increased
demand and the exhaustion of more
accessible sources have given them
all a market. a large proportion
was owned by people in narrow cir
cumstances, who had an immediate
need of all that could be realized from
them. Most of our mountain forests
have now passed into the hands of
parties better able to hold them and
apply the conservative method; and
it would now be no hardship to any
one if the state were by law to make
that method compulsory. 1t is al
most universally conceded that it
would be public calamity for the
large owners of mountain forests to
proceed to cut them over. On the
other hand, it is felt to be a griev-
ance to community relying for its
ordinary supply upon contiguous
mountain forests for anybody to buy
them up and stop all cutting there
on. On the whole, 1t is evident that
the only way to supply the proper
demands of the present and to insure
a supply for the future is to adopt
the middle course, allow the cutting
of mature trees and spare the young
and growing timber. In this way
only can we insure the permanency
of those noble mantles of the noun
tains from which our state derived
her name, and warrant to our people
an enduring supply of those products
of the forest which their necessities
will always require And in this
way only can we preserve to Yer
mont the glory of her hills. wherein
her children, returned from many
wanderings, rejoice. and which fill
the heart of the stranger, who stands
for the first time In their noble pres
ence, with wonder and delight
In the report of the forest com
mission composed of Hon Frederick
Billings, Hon. E. ]. Phelps and Hon
Redfield Proctor, three of the most
distinguished citizens of this state,
appointed by the governor of this
state in accordance with a resolu-
ton passed by the Legislature of
1884, occurs this forcible sentence
1T is poor way to protect forests
to protect those who are destroying
them" Then follows this other SEN
tence: 1T is an unfortunate result
of the general classification of rail