The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-10-06
SAVE THE FOREST LANDS.
An Important Recommendation Of Land
Commissioner Carter.
RESERVE ALL The PUBLIC LANDS

Statistics in Regard to the Lumber In
dustry-The Forest Rapidly Disap-
pearing Forest Legislation De-
manded in the Next Cougress-Let
North Carolina have Public Park.
From the New York S MI
One of the most noteworthy recon-
mendations in the annual report of
Land Commissioner Carter is that
law should be enacted for the imme-
diate reservation of all public forest
lands, except for entry under the
homestead and mining statutes.
Eight years ago one of his predeces-
sors, Commissioner Mcfarland, urged
the temporary withdrawal of all tim
ber lands from sale and entry. The
first reason he gave was the need OF
preserving the forests at the head
waters of important rivers, so as to in
sure an equable and abundant flow of
water, and to avoid the occurrence of
inundations and droughts produced
by telling the forests. He also insist
ed that there was no good reason why
land worth S25 to 800 per acre for its
timber should be sold, as it habitually
was, for S1.25 and $3.50 per acre.
Hence he advocated the withdrawal of
all timber lands for appraisement,
nent timber reserves, and then offer
the remaining lands for sale at their
appraised value.
Other proposals of a similar charac-
ter have since been made from time
to time. Thus commissioner Sparks
recommended ''the immediate with
drawal of all public forests from dis
posal, and of lands valuable chiefly
for timber, subject to future legisla-
4 f%,. I,Ar ont ~ inn lf
designated areas, and more ecOnOm-
ically governed disposal of such tim
ber lands as it may not be necessary
| to reserve indefinitely" 1t will there
| fore be seen that Commissioner Can 1r
| has abundant precedent for his pres
ent recommendations, which become
| the more important from the added
years of lawleSs SpOliation, as well as
of the legitimate reduction of the
wooded area.
Few people who have not studied
| the matter are fully aware of the i'm
| portance of the woodlands of the Uni
| ted States to the prosperity of the ma
| tion. The subject is perhaps common
| ly regarded as an interesting speciality
/ rather than as of fundamental conSe-
quence; but some enlightenment on
this point may perhaps be obtained
through the following extract from a
| recent official bulletin:
| 1.-THE total annual product of WOOD
material of all sorts consumed in the
| United States may be valued in round
numbers at 5000, 600, 900, representing
roughly speaking. $4,000, 100000 cubic
| feet of wood, or the annual increase
of the wood growth of 500, 900, 900 acres
| of forest in fair condition. This value
| exceeds ten times the value of our golC
| and silver output, and three times the
| annual product of all our mineral ano
coal mines put together. 1t is three
times the value of our wheat crop"
The capital employed simply il
milling this product is roughly esti
mated at $3.50, ,000, 900, and more thar
300, 900 people are occupied in the di
| rect manufacture of forest and saw
| mill products, exclusive of re-manu
| facture and transportation. The
bulletin already quoted makes thi
further effort to give an idea of tn,
worth of the material that come
from the forest:
eff to the value of our total minin!
product be added the value of ou
stone uuarries and petroleum, ant
this sum'be increased'by the estimates
value Of all the steamboats,, Sailin;
vessels, canal boats, fiat boats, ant
barges plying in the American water
and belonging to citizens of the Unite,
States, it will still be less than tn
value of the forest product by sun
sufficient to purchase at cost of con
struction all the canals, buy at pa
all the stock of the telegraph compa
mes, pay their bonded debts, and cor
struct and equip all the telephon
lines. The value of the annual fOres
product exceeds the gross income c
I.all the railroad and transportatio
companies"
It's evident that legislation on
subject of such Importance demand
the best judgment and the most stl
dious consideration. And yet this
only one side of the matter; for th
influence of the forests on irrigatio
and hence on the tilling soil, as we
| as on the navagability of the rivers,
also of the greatest consequence
Indeed it is largely this latter conSit
Grafton which prompts Commission
Carter to his proposal to reserve til
forest areas. Mr.. Marsh has show
in study of the subject, how I'll
condition of parts of Palestine ar
other countries has probably been a
tered by the improyident telling I
forests. The retention 1of woods {
mountain sides is often necessary Fl
holding the SHOWS and preventing
: too rapid melting. The spoliation
, woodlands in some cases means IL
reduction of cultivable areas, the
crease of navigation, and a check {
] the growth of population. Yet tt
, enormous demand for forest produc
causes these risks of future damage
s be taken in the interest of immedia
gain; and the depredations also {
public timber lands are prOdigioU
For single example, the yearly ave
age of logs passing through the Rail
! River country is said to be betwe,
As, 900, 600 and so, 600, 900 feet, fou
f1fths coming from the United Stat
and the rest from Canada, and tw
thirds of all being unlawfully C
from Government lands.
The Fifty-first Congress, which ]
pealed the Timber Culture law, to-
an important step toward remedyil
!, existing evils by the following pl
vision:
THAT the President of the Unit
States may from time to time S
apart and reserve in any State or II
ritory having public lands beari
forests, in any part of the public La
wholly or in part covered with til
Der or undergrOwn, whether of col
mercial value or not, as public res.
vation. and the President shall,
proper proclamation, declare the ,
tablishment OF such reservation a
| the limits thereof
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