The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25

age OF this finds its way to the mountain
resorts, because trees do attract people.
To Cdlifornians forests have this additional
interest which must not be overlooked in
estimating their value to the State.
Before suggesting ways and means for
forest protection, brief paragraph must
be devoted to the subject of fire. Pri-
marily the disappearance of large num-
bers of our forest trees is due to the ak OF
the lumberman, but in its wake has been
the ever present danger of fire. Under
the present system-or rather lack OF sys-
tem-no mill owner or timber cutter burns
his waste. Chips, bits of bark, limbs and
twigs are allowed to dry and become the
nucleus of a forest fire that shall be more
destructive in its course than saw or ak.
1t has been said that every fire among the
Sierra pines, every wasteful logging camp
in the redwoods is like running millions of
grape vines and millions of fruit trees. No
one single agency has been so destructive
OF forest values and forest growth as con-
fagrations. In 1880 the forest fires swept
over 10,274,0S acres in the United States,
causing a loss OF $25, 462, $50. That these
occur to greater o. less extent annually
for the reason that the people are as yet
indifferent to forest protection, and fail to
demand sufficient means TO prevent them,
is admitted by all familiar with the SUBJ
ject. The damages from this source 10
| California is very pronounced during the
dry summer months, and many acres have
been so destroyed.
The foregoing reasons for forest con-
seryation are recognized by all thinking
people-nevertheless the student of the
forestry problem must admit that the
| question IS knotty one. 1t will do no
good to style the lumberman a ruthless"
| destroyer of our forests; neither will it
| avail to compile statistics on the wanton
| waste of our arboreal wealth. The lumber
| business is not conducted on sentimental
| lines any more than any other class OF
| business. Indeed, it is one OF the most in
! tense and pushing lines OF activity, COM
handing the brain, Drawn and bank of
| the restless American. The lumberman
| is as much the result of American condi-
tons as is the wheat-grower, the cotton
| planter or the cattleman. a rich and
virgin soil 10 be had at nominal price
| from the Government has made it possible
| for the American Wheat-grower to produce
that staple crop at price TO compete with
up the fertility of his soil in place of NOV
! ing onto new land as his became ex-
hausted, this could not have been done.
The same holds good of the cotton-planter
| and the Western cattle industry. The re-
suit has been that the ''go West idea has
become almost synonymous with soil ex-
| haustlon as population advanced to where
the white foam of the Pacific fringes the
shore line OF the Golden State.
The same cond ition is noticeable in the
approaching disappearance of our best
| forest areas. The lumberman and his
methods are but an integral part of the
material development of material America.
| As an individual he cannot afford to
gather the debris of his logging camp and
| burn tit would entail an expense that
when added to his other items of cost put
| him out of competition with his neighbor.
| Were he to observe the methods of scien-
| tifc forestry, they would only add to his
| present expense-since he ngures on only
one crop of timber from his land-which
| in turn would necessitate an increase of
| price to the consumers of his product. In
| the new West ard in California these are
| largely represented by the new settlers and
farmers. Thus in our present condition
cheap ium Der has had saIutary influence
in building up the State, bur it is ques-
tlona bic If this transitorv gain will ever
offset the losses of the future resulting
from the present M thods of treating the
forests. The fact that nearly all of the
forest lands are now in the hands OF pri-
vate owners makes the operation of
forestry system still more difficult. In
some OF the New England States it is
doubtful If the Government now owns a
single forest acre. In others the holdings
are so small and often scattered that a
general forestry system is OF doubtful ex-
pediency unless it be drastic legislation
compelling private ownership to harvest
wood crop under forestry supervision.
Such ali invasion of private rights would
lead to some interesting points of law.
As in the case Of its agricultural lands,
it has been the policy of this Government
to dispose of its forest lands TO the people
at nominal price. As population in
creased these naturally increased in value,
and in many cases in the hands OF shrewd
operators became the nucleus of giant for
tunes. Obviously the time to have estab-
Iished a comprehensive National forestry
system, that should maintain the Amer
lean forests, was before they had so largely
disappeared. To lock the stable door after
the horse has been stolen is hardly wise
craftsmanship.
Many of the States still own school
lands, swamp lands, indemnity lands and
other lands which the General Govern
ment has given them or which they have
owned otherwise, but which have never
yielded an income except by their sale.
In cases where these lands sustain forest
growth they might be reserved from sale
and submitted to forestry regulations.
This would insure at least partial con-
servation of our forest areas. In States
where large areas have been denuded the
land could be bought by the Government
for nominal sum-in some cases by a re-
mittance of taxes-and might be re-
forested by the State to good advantage.
In 1891 Congress passed law empower
ing the President to reserve forest areas
for permanent ownership by the Govern
ment. Under this law some 100000