New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-12
FORESTER AND LUMBERMAN.
THEIR WORK IN THE NORTH WOODS.
\ PAPER READ AT THE RECENT FORESTRY CON
GREss AT ALBANY BY CLIFFORD PlNCHOT'
CONSULTING FORESTER OF GEORGE ".
vANDERBILTs ESTATE OF BlLTMoRE.
IN NORTH CAROLINA.


vANDERBILTs ESTATE OF BlLTMoRE.
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
\ tree in the virgin forest OK the Adrond3cks
which has reached its full height has had an *
-emely interesting struggle for he Il exists - a
irvivor. having outgrown and overcome very
.Aany competitors most Of which have died ana
disappeared After 1t has secured its place as an
adult member Of the forest the tree bears seed
from time TO time the seed germinates ana the
generations Of seedlings FOR awhile in Us
shade and then perish successfully for want Of
light. Finally the parent tree passes into Old age
becomes unsound and falls and the young seed
lngs which happen to be under Il at the moment
or which appear after time about its roots. spring
up under the influence Of the light which the old
tree no longer intercepts. and the struggle Tor
supremacy Is repeated by the younger generation
until one or more Of them takes It's place among
the green trees of the forest.
SO through the life and death Of millions upon
millions OF individuals the life Of the Adirondack
forest has gone for centuries unbroken. Nor
is its continuance endangered even by the seVerest
accidents unless man interferes. II wndfal
happens to make break in the forest cover. or II
fire destroys it over certain area different
process takes place; but nature provides. neverthe-
less. for the continued life of the forest. Where
the opening is made in the forest cover the vege-
tation at first is composed Of plants peculiarly
suited TO the conditions. such as grasses and
briers. The first trees which appear generally
poplars and fire cherr1-come up because they are
specially fitted to overcome the enemies and hard
ships which meet them in the slash. Then when
they have prepared the right surroundings Of soil
and shade. the old knds-spruce and maple and
beech whatever they may have heen-come
back gradually, and after time the forest is re-
stored fl was before the interruption. Such
process is an exceedingly long one; for nature is
Indifferent to the length of time over which her
operations extend she is to the life Of the in
ifs.lf
which, in the long rum she effectually protects and
sustains But It Is the regular cycle of growth
which is of greatest nteres; TO the forester, be-
cause from II he derives his own method of han
ding the fores,.
FOREST PRESERVATION
IT. then we consider the life history Of the forest
untouched by wndfan or fire we find the same
prodgality Of time and from the standpoint OF our
needs a very great loss Of timber. In order 10
give the forest its true place as permanent re-
source we mus; adapt the natural process OF the
endless birth and death Of the trees to the uses
Of man. to whom time is Of the first Importance
and timber A very valuable commodity. This Is
the province of the forester. But in his attempt
to preserve the forest by making it useful the
forester is necessarily by many lmita uons.
chief among which is always the nature Of the re-
turn which the forest must be made to yield. The
first and most important restrictions in the Ad-
irondacks is. consequently that which is imposed
by the merchantable value of the different trees.
Speaking roughly at the present time only the
softwoods in the New-York wilderness have a
can be cut by either the forester or the lumber
man. We must therefore leave out OF consideTa
speak only Of the Others We have seen that
nature makes room for young trees by the decay
and fall of the old tree which has long outlved
its prime. and has FOR years been appropriating
Of 5% which yonT night have
DEVELOPING into The raw material of valuable f I'M
forests secured, but there is a serious loss or
time and timber. from the human point OF view
both when It's useful qualities are in their prime
and when there Is young growth OF valuable SPECIES
done in such way that the young trees. on which
injured much less than under natures method, be-
cause the direction in which the tree Is thrown IS
because the top Is not allowed to injure perma-
nenty the young trees upon which 1t may have
Is preserved WITH the greatest care II may be
noted here that the removal OF the trunks OF the
trees so that they do not rot on the ground has
the forest floor factor in the water supply. Il
is the twigs and leaves. and more especially the
latter. whose annual fall and decomposition are OF
and mechancaly than the fan of the whole tree
VALUE OF THE FoREsTER's WORK.
From the point Of view of civilized men, forest
under regular anagement Is better than forest
left wholly to nature in somewhat the same way
that well-kept orchard Of cherry trees Is better
than patch Of fire cherries. There many
points of difference. but the distinctive in each
case is the harvest. The fundamental difference
between the policy Of the umberman and the
forester in the Adirondacks or elsewhere. Is in the
attitude Of each toward the future. In both
1t Is the natural result of previous training and
experience, and such each opinion is entitled
10 consideration. 1t Is only when the practical
effect of the policies on the general welfare
becomes manifest that justified in preferrne
the one TO the other. The lumberman with the
present alone in mind, cuts and markets all he
can probably handle. with little reference to the
effect of his action on the future supply Of lumber
The forester. whose conception of the forest may
be somewhat illogically described as that Of an
endless succession Of second growths works from
Il different starting point. His object Is to draw
from the forest the largest return which 1t be
made to YIELD without endangering It's general
value TO the public and with the express condition
that Its productive capacity for the future shall
not be diminished. but increased. While the Ium.
herman cuts all that ne can market. the forester
cuts only those trees which. for the welfare Of
,the forest itself well for the product o be
had from them, ought TO be removed and does it
in way to do the rest Of the forest and especially
the young growth, the least possible injury.
the probable money result there is one pecuiaritv
of the Adrondacks which will enable the forester.
return than the lulnberman and after a com
paratively short interval as time must be reckoned
in the forest. 10 surpass him altogether This is
the fact that the merchantabe sOftwood trees form
only small proportion Of the forest (probably not
over per cent? and scattered by single trees
or small groups through vast body Of unmerchant-
able hardwood timber. Lumberman and forester
are. therefore both compelled 20 long distances
for their timber. and to take only tree here and
there Al first the forester would cut somewhat
fewer trees than the lumberman, and so get fewer
logs and less money. and II would cost him a very
small percentage more to get his logs from the |
stump in the mill. account OF the care he would
use not 10 damage the future forest But the money
advantage which lies with the umberinan in this |
view of the is small at the best and as soon
as ever the nearer future comes into consiiera- |
a
or three cuts on the same ground the balance must
begin to run the other way. simply because the |
forester Is actively concerned In keeping no the |
proportion OF the valuable species while the um- |
herman. whose interest In the land he cuts over |
IS generally a short one. has seldom any reason |
for considering the future value. For example il |
IS suficiently obvious that II. In stream which |
contains few trout and a great many Djckerei
the trout are Systematically caught out at the |
time when ,hey reach we spawning and the