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

standing timber in the United States:
Number
States. Stumpago val. feet standing
Washington. . $2G9, ,56l 329 4I0, $50 S35.U0J
Oregon . S6,GS5, TO 236 500, 255 000
Nine South. States .......... $50 000,6O 900
WISCONSIN ........ .......... ZO000 W b,og
mlcfuSnn ........ .......... Ztlf,OJJ ivo
Mlnncsota. .......... lI,ItJ,ozo,UoO
fennsylvanla ..... .......... I,DDo,UO, W
Malhc. ...,. ..........> WJ,W ~
California ~ 100 100 900 100. TOO 900 coo
Montana w AZ $50 O0D G5, O00, ,UO0, 900
Idaho. .,. 22,590 600 10000 ,0O0.COJ
In the above list the three States Of
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota arc
elsewhere said to have cut, in 1892,
nearly 1900, 600, 900 feet, board measure,
or over Ia per cent. of the aggregate
amount Of standing timber of these States,
as given i'm the above list. The State Of
Michigan alone is credited with an out
put, for 1892, Of nearly $500, 10000
feet, board measure, or over ID per cent.
of her standing timber.
While these figures Of annual produc
ton may be taken rs indicating enter.
prise on the part Of timber cutters, the
question naturally arises as to what the
people of century to come arc going to
do for lumber. Cheaper aud 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 subjc 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-
pic of Europe, by the waste nnd
carclcssncss of their predecessors; and
it is hardly in accordance with
modern methods for us TO wait un.
Til wo arc compelled by similar causes to
adopt II similar course, with all its at
tcndant disadvantages and short and
costly supply. Forests may bc male to
disappear into the nav of saw-mills mt
the rate of thousands of acres per year,
but it takes many years to replace this
loss; and one serious forest fire Of n few
weeks may cancel natures efforts of u
century in tree production.
The whole subject of timber prcscrva-
tion is one of time, rs much as it is one
Of money; and the subject cannot be
taken up too seriously by tho 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 rs forest preserves.
But more active work still is needed, in
the gathering and dissemination Of use.
ful and much needed statistics on this
head of present supply and present con-
sumption and waste. 1t is true that we
have Forestry Bureau rs an ad 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 II department. by more
liberal policy its scope of action and
general usefulness might be very much
increased, and it was with such career
i'm view that the department was origin
ally created.
We have here only treated of the value
of timber in its industrial sense; but ii
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
inTs and fences, or used as fuel. Aside
from the question Of first cost, it would
be better for the safety of property md
life if timber were less used in our
houses, and the substitutes for timber in
construction are becoming constantly
cheaper. Hmt water VIC must have al.
ways, and no substitute for it has eyer
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 dc.
stroycd by fire or other agencies. Tim.
berlcss areas permit the rapid evapor.
alton or escape in surface streams of the
water that falls upon them; are more
subicct to defective wind storms, and are
generally less pleasing and inviting a.
sites for habtation We have enough oi
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.