Evening star., 1895-07-16
THE GREATEST FOREST.
1t Stretches 5000 Miles Long by 1,.O0
Miles Wide.


From Youths Companion.
Where IS the greatest forest in the
world?"
The question was asked in the forestry
section of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science at Its recent an
nual meeting. The Importance of forests
for eQualizing the climate and the rainfall
of the globe was. under discussion, and the
purpose of the question was to show where
the great forest tracts of the world are
situated.
One member. replying offhand, was in
clined to maintain that the greatest con-
tinuous tract of forest lies north of tho
St. Lawrence river, IN the provinces Of
Quebec and Ontario, extending northward
to Hudson bay and Labrador: a region
measuring about LOO miles in length from
east to west and 1000 miles in width north
and south
A professor from the Smithsonian Instf-
tuition reJoined that a much larger con-
tinuous area of timber lands was to be
found. reckoning from those In the state
of Washington northward through British
Columbia ard Alaska. But he limited his
statement to North America, for he added
that in his opinion. the largest forest in
the world occupied the valley of the ANA
ION, embracing much OF northern Brazil.
| eastern Peru. Bolivia. Ecuador. Colombia
and Guiana: region at least 2.1O0 miles
| in length by 800 in width.
Exception was Immediately taken to this
statement by several members who in the
| light Of recent explorations, have COM
puted the forest area of Central Africa in
| the valley of the Congo including the head
waters of the Nile to the northeast, and
| those Of Zambesl on the south. Accord
| ing to their estimates. Central Africa con-
tains for. st region not less than 1900
of vast although not fully known width
from east to west. Discussion. in which
the evidence afforded by travels and sur
| veys was freely cited. seemed favorable to
| the defender of the Amazonian forests.
| Later In the day the entire question was
placed in another light by member who
was so fortunate to be able to speak
| from some knowledge of still another great
| forest region Of the globe This gentle-
| man gave a vivid picture of the vast sol
| emn taigas ard urnans. the pine, larch
and cedar forests of Siberia.
1t appears that Siberia, from the plain OF
| the Obi river on the west to the valley OF
| the 1ndighirka on the east, embracing the
| great plains or river valleys. OF the YEN
| isei Olenek. Lena and Yana rivers, is
one great timber belt. averaging more than
| 1 900 miles in breadth from north to south
| being fully 700 miles wide In the YEN
| isei district-and having length from east
| TO west Ct not less than 4. GOO versts, about
| 1000 miles. Unlike equatorial forests the
| trees of the Siberian tiagas are mainly con-
| ifers comprising pines of several varietles:
| frs and larches. In the Yenfsef Lena ana
Olenek regions there thousands OF
! SQUARE miles where no human being has
! a1,er haen The long-stemmed conifers rise
to height of $50 feet or more. and stand
50 closely together that walking among
The dense, lofty tops exclude the pale
arctic sunshine. and the straight pale
trunks, all looking exactly alike, so be-
| wilder the eye in the obscurity that all
| sense of direction is lost. Even the most
exnnrienced trappers OF sable dare not
venture into the dense taigas without talk
ing the precartion Of blazing" the trees
| constantly with hatchets they walk for
| ward IL lost there the hunter rarely finds
| his way put. but perishes miserably from
! starvation or cold. The natives avoid the
| taigas, and have a name for them which
| signifies "places where the mind Is lost