The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-05-12

following figures for the aggregate of
standing timber in the United States:
Number
Statcs Stumpago val feet standing
Washington 500 SOL 32o ilO,33 335 UOJ
Oregon . S6,GS5, 700 236 500. 255 600
Nine South. States .......... 2SO 0OO, GO 900
Wisconsin ........ ......... ~, 5bO W hos'
michSan ........ ......... Z4,lf,oJJ l3o
Mluncsota ...... .......... lI'ttJ,3 ,3z5Uuu
fcnnsylvanla ..... .......... 1,5DoOO0,' VI
Maihc ..... .......... oo'.W ~
New York .. .. 10 10000 900
California ....... 100. 700. 200 100. TOO 900 coo
Montana w 4S $50 OO) 65, ,OO0, ,UO0, 900
Idaho. .....,.... 22,5o0 00O $4,000 o,OO0.vO)
In the above list the three States Of
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota arc
elsewhere said to- have cut, in 1892,
nearly 5000. 000, 900 feet, board measure,
or over ii per cent, of the aggregate
amount of standing timber of these States,
rs given in the above list. The State of
Michigan alone is credited with an out
put, for 1892, Of nearly $500, ,000,(0
feet, board measure, or over ID per cent.
of her standing timber.
While these figures Of annual produc.
ton may DC taken us indicating enter
prise on the part of timber cutters, the
question naturally arises rs to what the
people Of IA century to come are going to
do for lumber. Cheaper and moro rapid
means of transportation may enable them
to go further for their supply; but it
would seem wiser for the present genera
ton Of Americans to pay more serious
attention to the subject of forest plant
ing and preservation; and lii this way
gain somewhat from the experience and
practice Of older nations. This action
was long ago forced on the pco-
pic of Europe, by the waste and
carclcssncss of their predecessors; and
it is hardly in accordance with
modern methods for us TO wait un.
til we arc compelled by similar causes to
adopt similar course, with all its at
tcndant disadvantages and q short and
costly supply. Forests may be made to
disappear into tho maw Of saw mills at
the rate of thousands of acres per year +,
but it takes many years to replace this
| loss; and one serious forest fire Of a few
weeks may cancel natures efforts of a
| century in tree production.
| The whole subject Of timber prcScrva-
| ton is one Of time, rs much as it is ono
! Of money; and the subject cannot be
| taken up too seriously by the people and
| Government of the United States. Some
haltinG action has already been taken by
Congress, and the President is now
authorized to set aside certain parts of
the public domain us forest preserves.
But more active work still is needed, in
the gathering and dissemination Of use
full and much needed statistics on this
head of present supply and present con-
sumption and waste. 1t is true that we
have a Forestry Bureau rs an djunct to
our Department Of Agriculture; but
Judging from the difficulty it has in SC.
curing from Congress the paltry sum Of
| $40. 900 for the continuation Of exceed.
| ingly interesting and commercially val
| liable timber tests, our lawmakers yet
! fail to appreciate the true purpose and
| value Of such Il department. BY more
| liberal policy its scope OF action and
| general usefulness might be very much
| increased, and it was with such n career
! in view that the department was origin.
| ally created.
We have here only treated Of the value
| of timber in its industrial sense; but il
| has been proved beyond controversy that
| forests arc absolutely necessary rs n con-
server of water supply, and for this pur-
pose their preservation or cultivation is
even more generally necessary than when
the timber is to be converted into build
ings and fences, or used as fuel. Aside
from the question of first cost, it would
be better for the safety of property and
life if timber were less used in our
houses. and the substitutes for timber in
construction are becoming constantly
cheaper But water we must have al.
ways, and no substitute for it has ever
been suggested. The destruction OF
timber in many parts of Europe has alto.
gcthcr changed the habitablc conditions
of great areas of territory by reducing
the rainfall and the storage for rainfall al.
ways provided by dense forests; and the
arid regions of our own country show
evidences Of having been, in part at least,
once covered by timber, long ago de.
stroycd by fire or other agencies. Tim.
berless areas permit the rapid evapor.
alton or escape in surface streams of the
water that falls upon them; are more
subject to defective wind storms, and are
generally less pleasing and inviting a.
sites for habitation. We have enough OF
territory of this description now in the
United States. and whatever the Govern
mcnt can reasonably do to prevent any
marked increase in its area should be
done, and done promptly and with vigor
and intelligent effort.