St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-07-01

NtalHS; ctHllp page Val. 1cet standing
| Washington. .... $2Go, Sol 1929 40 1873 33J 900
Oregon .......... $685. 100 23G Sy3. 255 0O0
! Nine South States .......... $50 0OO. GO 900
| Wisconsin ........ .......... e $50 Oh, 81
| INlchl-an ....,.... .....-.... - III, bJJ l9J
| MlhheSot" .......... il,i4J Jzu. tuO
| pennsylvania ..... .......... 1,5UB OOD,t w
! maine ..-....... l 3UJ.uO ',tOt
| New tDfE. ....-..... 1,u.u,ObU wv
California ....... 100 7OD 900 100, 100 900 600
Montana. ....... 4S $50 00o $1,000, 600 600
Idaho. ........... % 800 900 $4,000, 000 600
In the above list the three States of
Wisconsin,, Michigan and Minnesota are
elsewhere said to have cut, in 1892,
nearly 1000, 600, 900 feet, board measure,
or over IA per cent. of the aggregate
amount of standing timber of these States,
as given in the above list. The State of
Michigan alone is credited with an out
put, for 1892, of nearly $500, 600, Goa
feet, board measure, or over Is per cent
of her standing timber
While these figures of annual produc-
ton may be taken as indicating enter
prise on the part of timber cutters, the
question naturally arises as to what the
people of a century to come are going to
do for lumber. Cheaper and more 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 in this way
gain somewhat from the experience and
practice of older nations. This action
was long ago forced on the pco-
pie of Europe, by the waste and
carelcssness Of their predecessors; and
it is hardly in accordance with
modern methods for us to wait I'M
til we are compelled by similar causes to
adopt similar course, with all its at
tcndant disadvantages and short and
costly supply. Forests may be made to
disappear into the NAV of sawmills at
the rate of thousands of acres per year;
but it takes many years to replace this
loss; and one serious forest fire of few
weeks may cancel natures efforts of
century in tree production.
The whole subject of timber preserva.
ton is one of time. as much as it is one
Of money; and the subject cannot be
taken up too seriously by the people and
Government of the United States. Some
hating action has already been taken by
Congress, and the President is now
authorized to set aside certain parts of
the public domain as 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 as an adjunct 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
inglv interesting and commercially val
liable timber tests. our lawmakers vet
fail to appreciate the true purpose and
value of such Il department. BY a more
liberal policy its scope of action and
general usefulness might be very much
increased, and it was with such 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 it
has been proved beyond controversy that |
forests are absolutely necessary as a 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, aud no substitute for it has ever
been suggested. The destruction of
timber in many parts of Europe has alto
gethcr 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
stroyed by fire or other agencies. Tim
ocrless 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
less pleasing and inviting as
sites for habitation. We have enough of
territory of this description now in the
United States. and whatever the Govern
nent can reasonably do to prevent any
marked increase in. its area should be
lone, and done promptly and with vigor
md intelligent effort.