Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-11-02
DEFORESTATION.
A Question Which Becomes Year B,
Year More Vital.
Some Opinions Expressed BY COMMISSIONS,
Charles z. Oak.

/ A Maine paper recently made the fol
lowing statement: OF the spruce famine
it is to be remembered that growth OF
timber will replenish itself in a certain
number of years, and some new material
will take the place of the useful, but once
despised spruce tres.''
The position of this writer who hold.
that it will be remembered etc, ;" is not
very unlike that Of one who stands be-
tore building, which flames are rapidly
consuming. This man sees another ap.
preaching. He remembers that the
approaching one will, probably, either
put the fire out OR else get someone else
to- or ring in an alarm, maybe.
A Journal man, recently, interviewed
one of Names eminent authorities on
this subject. He said, Regarding the
statement that growth of timber will
replenish itself in certain number of
years, it is well to bear in mind that
spruce would require from $50 to 400
years to replace the timber such as is now
being hewn down In such great quantities,
the original, old growth spruce And,
as for woods that can take the place of
spruce, the only ones yet discovered is
white BIRCH or sapling pine; and these
arc fit only to make into spool bars, and
box boards. Even these require from 40
20 years to attain the necessary growth
In my opinion the sooner the people look
after this subject the better.
State Commissioner Charles f. Oak,
one of the highest authorities in America
on this subject has given expression to
the following, regarding the subject of
deforestation: when law creating a
forestry commissioner for Maine was en-
acted, most people supposed it to be
simply for the purpose of preventing
forest fires, any other idea relating to the
subject. seeming vague and meaningless.
bad broader views, realizing there were
vital problems to be solved, relating to the
subject, that materially affect the future
prosperity of the State, and unless these
are settled very soon, in an intelligent
and business like way, it may tend to
decrease rather than increase our popula-
ton, on account of lack of occupation for
our young men.
'Fire, is, of course, great calamity
but equally true, is not the only evil
which threatens our forests.
"There is no spruce of any consequence
in the United States west of New York,
excepting comparative limited amount
| in West Virginia. Should it prove by
| investigation, as We anticipate that it
may, that the prospective demands are in
excess of the visible supply, we should
then realize the necessity of increasing
the productiveness of our forest areas
Due to the remoteness from business
centres, of the forest belt stretching from
the st. Lawrence river, northerly towards
Hudson bay, and easterly towards Labra-
dor, the demand for New England will
increase, with corresponding apprecia-
tion in value. The question naturally is
a vital one and If the consumption is
getting greater than the growth of supply
we should know it, and remedy for it,
ain virgin forest, where no cutting Is
done, there cannot possibly be any in
crease, the growth of young trees being
Notwithstanding over balanccd-by
the decay OF older growth. On the other
hand, timber trees, growing under most
favorable circumstances in open land, in
crease in size. However, no one, that l
am aware of, has ever been able to esti-
mate the per cent Of increase from year
to year, under various circumstances and
item in establishing a correct basis of
taxation, and of estimation of valuation
| for investment, and thus aid in an
economic conducting of forest properties.
Another point of interest to the grower
| is to be able to determine at what age 1t
will pay the greatest dividends to cut or
let grow. Until within a few years it
did not seem so important to know this
because lumber was cut only to be manu-
featured at our long and short lumber
mills, and, unless trees had reached GER
tain size, they could not be manufactured
at profit, consequently the smaller num-
Der was left to grow. But since the
advent Of the pulp business, conditions
have changed. Smaller lumber is being
used in that business than ever before,
and it seems evident that this is a vital
question, both for public and private in
tercsts, to know whether it is policy to
allow such cutting.
"a farmer unnecessarily harvesting his
crops before they matured, We should