New-York tribune., 1894-04-16
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
ADIRONDACK FOREST POLICY.
SPRUCE TIMBER


SPRUCE TIMBEG.
To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: Allow me- for the sake Of justice and the
irterest which attaches to The subject 70 correct
through your columns a misstatement when S'a'e
Engineer Adams made in his report TO the lana
Commissioners on the permits for cutting uhiDef
in the Adirondack Reserve. as reported IN EoHl -
size Of April l. only Just come 10 ny knowledge
He states that the American Forestry Assoca-
ton indorsed the policy OF cutting the spruce oV.
twelve inches at the recent Forestry congress '"
Is neither true in fact nor spirit This congress
was net a meeting OF the American Forestry AS'o'd-
uon but .ngress Of various asso "aions ana o'h-!
representatives Of forestry interests. and the re-
sponslbility OF whatever action was hau oi IVS0
luton was passed belongs 10 tnat congress anu
not TO any of the participant associations u'-1
say that no such Endorsement of The policy pro-
posed by the Forestry Commission and existing IN
the law could be had from the American Forestry
Association. Nor did the congress at Albany give
such Endorsement.
When at the congress the Adirondack problem
was under discussion. myself as an interested citi-
zen of New-York and as an expert in forestry mat
ters mot as spokesman for any association) miro
duced the following resolutions:
THAT no timber OF any kind be hereafter cut
and sold from the State lands until comprehensive
and systematic plan Of management has been de-
vised under expert advice, ana such regulations
and methods of supervision are instituted as VIII
insure q satisfactory permononce Of forest cover
and reproduction of the valuable kinds OF timber.
THAT the practice of cutting all the spruce above
twelve inches does not assure in ali cases. i'm
munty from the danger of seriously interrGptiDg
the forest cover, and Is apt to impair the l"tuIe
value OF the Forest. .
In the heated discussion which followed 1t
cropped ont that the Commissioners heIseiNos OF
at least their superintendent Colonel toN. dld not
consider culling OF the spruce as the best FOR
estry practice (which as / have shown several
years ago in my reports TO the Adirondack LEAGUE
Club IL certainly is not. but tnat IL was urged
from two reasons, namely, compromise omor
to the lumbermen. ana 10 get money for the pur-
chase of additional lands.
Upon the representation that the unfavorable
jeopardize the chances of passing the bill which
asks for milliondollar bond issue 10 extend the
promise resolution which was substituted and
passed ndcrsing the Forest Commissions policy
80 far as it was not detrimental TO conservative
Allow me- to add that, as I stated in the discus
sion at Albany / have doubt that The Forest
Commission is actuated BY GSsire TO pToino,e ne
intention TO utilize the material which those
produce is perfectly in harmony with rational
forest policy. But believe. first. that instead OF
employing methods Of compromise ana indrection
TO reach the desired acquisition Of the Adirondack
a broad policy. worthy Of the Empire State which.
namely. that the State make provision 10 acquire
the needed at once; second. that there IS no
ground. The great state of New-York can well
afford to walt for returns from its ioreS; properly
learned more about the rational treatment of for
ests. The former must learn that forest utizaiion
ter that the methods of utilization by the lumber
men, however improved, are never going TO lead
to forest preservation.
AS the State Engineer properly states, the an
nouncement that the spruce reprOduces Itself III
fifteen or twenty years" is chd's story which
conveys rational meaning TO any Intelligent man.
the word reproduce" being used not in any sense
belonging 10 il. The spruce. Of the size which is
being cut to-day. II has taken 80 70 259 years 10
able trees-and ! dare say the Forest Comms-
eion equipped with thc best skill and proper forest
cement, could not reproduce such in less than
100 TO 125 years.
The policy OF cUng out the spruce is simply
robbinC the forest OF its best part and reducing
the chance Of its reproduction. The restriction To
twelve inches is the restriction which the lumber
mon willing 10 allow to be placed upon the
quantity they will rob at time. hoping 10 come
vantage of delaying the operation (and in that sense
the restriction is perhaps good policy of removing
the best timber and the most valuable species. but
II has no warrant in any rational forest manage
ment in which trees of any size ere cut. often
much below twelve inches. provided and for the
purpose that thereby the new crop or the remain
Ing growth be benefited.
Does il not appear curious that in these times.
when careful scientific methods have entered into
almost ever human enterprise. displactng the
crude wavs Of former ages. a State IKE the great
Empire state should try to manage one OF is
greatest treasures its forestry property, by such
there IS no difficulty in applying well-estabished
principles and expert knowledge. as We 40 IN any
other large enterprise? B. T. FEkNON,
Chairman Executive Committee OF the American
Forestry Association.
Washington, April u. 1924.