The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-05-17
OUR WOODLANDS.
The Country's Forests and Their
Preservation.
Trees Which Are Felled Should
Be Replaced.


of acres of land in the United States
now covered with wood growth is about
four hundred and fifty millions. OF
this area, about seventy million acres
belong to the United States Govern.
ment. The rest is the property of in
dividuals, except a small amount which
belongs to States of the Union.
Of the entire forest area, it was as
certained that m ore than ten million
acres were burned over in the census
year 1880. 1t is not probable that the
annual destruction by fire has fallen off
since that year. 1t is estimated that
twenty five million acres of woodland
are cut off each year. At this rate Of
destruction, the woodlands of the
United States must speedily disappear
if it were not the fact that while the
woods in many places are being wan
tonly burned or cut away, they arc also
growing. not only in great many sites
where they have just undergone des-
truction. but in many places which
have been clear of timber.
But although woods grow spon-
tancously in many parts of the country
and SO freely that there is little fear
that tboro will j,o N ,o+ Ice, - x;xul..
cast of the one hundredth meridian, or
general unfavorable fleet upon soil or
climate in that region, the new growth,
In the forests of the country, does not
by any means keep pace with the de-
stIuction.
1t is estimated that while twenty. four
thousand millions of cubic feet of wood
are consumed annually in the United
States, the wood that grows each year
on the present forest area of the coun-
try is not more than twelve thousand
millions of cubic feet. 1t is reasonably
certain that, whether tree growths as a
whole increase or diminish, the great
forests of the country must disappear
unless something is done to check their
destruction.
What the effect upon the far Western
or more arid section of the country
would be if the mountain forests were
entirely swept away-as they must be
under present conditions, since in that
region the woods do not ordinarily
spring up again when cut down-can
be anticipated by observing the effect
upon the water flow in New York State
of the partial destruction of the Adiron-
dack forests.
1t is officially reported that tho cut
ting away of woods in the Adirondack
region has diminished the reliable
water supply in the Mohawk and Hud-
son Rivers by from 80 to so per cent.
The loss begins to affect unfavorably
navigation in the New York canals and
rivers.
In the Rocky Mountain and Pacific
coast regions. the drying up of the
sources of water supply by the cutting
away of the mountain forests seriously
endangers the supply of water for the
irrigation of the plains below, and
thus menaces the Availability of tn ose
regions.
Further east the question is equally q
practical one. though not as threatening.
The practice is to destroy without re-
placing. We commonly trust to the
unaided operations of nature to put
back the wood growths we take; but.
nature does not always put them back.
The experience of the old world has
proved that steady and profitable
supply of wood may be drawn from
forests, and revenue from them de.
rived by those who own them and the
forests maintained in good growth at
the same time, to supply still further
revenue and to exercise their equalizing
and preserving influence on climate,
rainfall and water supply.
This lesson of profit and loss should
not be hard one for the practical
American people to learn, AMI there
are many indications, both in the direc-
ton of private enterprise and in pro.