Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-11-13
A Glance at Our Present Forest Con
ditiOnS.

d1tl0nSs
A glance at the management of for
est land in America impresses one
with the idea, that nature spenr
thousands of years in the effort tt
build up fertile soils and produce 81
gantic forests whose fate has beer
none other than to be destroyed in s
few centuries by the injudicious in
tervention of man.. Yet only The
most superficial thinker can stol
here; for q study of the works of ma
ture soon reveals the fact that every
thing was created for purpose, anc
must fulfil that purpose, or man fol
whom all things were designed, must
suffer on account of the failure. For
ests are no exception to this great
rule. They are of the greatest utility
and in beauty and grandeur unsur-
passed; nothing in nature can CON-
pare with the majestic beauty of the
forest growth.
miniStration of some of the older
countries is sufficient, in view OF the
lack of effort here, to cause the peo-
pie of our Eastern States to pause in
their ruinous course, look about them
and study means for restoring and
conserving proper forest conditions
The first plants appearing upon the
earth were of very simple structure;
these passed their life cycle, decayed
and together with the disintegrating
rocks furnished material for the sup
port of nobler growths. This process
of growth and decay formed in course
of time the fertile soils which sup
ported the virgin growth of forests.
1t Is astonishing to contemplate the
condition of this continent only few
short centuries ago and contrast that
with its present condition. Man has
wrought many wonderful changes, of
which not all have proven TO be in
harmony with the laws of nature.
Then the Eastern States were COW
cred with magnificent forest growth
supposed to be ineXhaustible.
The mountain slopes, hillsides, val
leys and river banks presented al al
most unbroken forest, dotted here
and there with spots of meadow. The
climate was moist and equable, and
nature in unison with the conditions
yielded her treasure in bounteous
measure.
Man with his ruthless hand ap-
peared upon the scene and order
changed to chaos. He destroyed the
noble forest growth and burnt off the
leafy covering, which had been thous.
ands of years in forming. The hill
sides denuded of covering and the
lit. r of the forest floor burnt up, the
soil was compacted by theforce OF the
raindrops and the tramping OF cattle;
thus the water which would have
percolated into the leafy cover and
drained off through the granular soil
below to feed distant springs rushed
over the surface, down the slopes and
ran in rivulets and streams, furrowing
the earth with gullies. These torrents
spread destruction on every hand
and later ran dry because the waters
which should have fed them had
been carried away in the flood.
The litter of the forest floor keeps
the soil loose and granular, allowing
the water to percolate readily and
the protection from sun and wind
causes snow to lay longer and melt
with less loss from evaporation, there
fore more water sinks into the forest
soil and to greater depth than in the
open field This moisture becomes
available for feeding the springs and
subsoil waters, regulating the con-
stahcy of flow, caueing drouths to be
less frequent and very little is lost as
surface water. The waters being
thus retarded in their course the
danger of flood is greatly reduced.
Whether forests increase the
amount of precipitation within or
near their limits is still an open Ques-
ton, although the amount of rainfall
in the vicinity of large dense forest
areas seems to indicate that such may
be the case. The water which trans
pires through the foliage, however, is
certain to somewhat increase the rel
alive humidity near the forest and
thus directly or indirectly increase
the water supply. Also the hot, dry
air rising from an extended plain
heated by the sun increases the re-
tentive power of the passing moist
bearing currents, tending to pre-
vent precipitations, while the cooler
moister air strata of forest areas do
not exert such an influence, therefore
local showers may become more fire.
quent in the vicinity of the forest.
The forest belt tempers climate by
breaking the force of cold winds in
winter and hot, dry winds in summer,
thus protecting the agricultural
crops. The billiards of the western
plains would be greatly limited in
their destructive effects by belts Of
forest. Live stock and crops being
sheltered from excessive heat and
cold would thrive accordingly, while
the moisture which falls down from
higher attitudes and is dissipated by