Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1897-06-18
OUR FOREST WEALTH

OUR FOREST WEALTH
Hcckiess,y and wickedly wasted ~
the American People.
Another half century at the present
rate of wasteful destruction will prAc-
tically bring the end of Americas for.
est wealth.
When our ancestors landed on Ply
mouth Rock they entered the forests
primeval," which, with hardly break,
extended the whole length Of the At
lantic coast, and hundreds of miles
back into the valley Of the Mississippi.
The wOOdman's AK was the pioneer OK
civilization. The forest was an enemy,
to be overcome as speedily a. possible.
Hence fire and destruction marked the
progress of the settler.
To-day, except for the almost mac
cessible Businesses Of the mountainsy
the northern portion of those vast for
ests Is practically destroyed. Much
woodland remains In the East. but It
has lost Its pristine wealth Of forest
monarchs. The merchantable timber
was sacrificed long ago to the demands
Of commerce.
! Notably wasteful have been the meth
DDS OF the early settler Except for tho
logs needed for his little cabin ana
other primitive buildings. and for nre-
wood, the trees were an encumbrancc.
to be got rid of AZ rapidly a. possible.
When the AZ and FIRE completed their
work of destruction there was little
save blackened stumps to tell Of the
former glory.
A the wood acquired value from tho
Increased demands Of the people the
wastefulneas has lessened. But In the
lumber camps this waste 10 still mark
. ed. Young trees are sacrificed to make
! q road into the forest. When the giants
fall under the ak they frequently carry
other trees with them, which are left
to rot Only the heavy portions Of the
, trunk are chosen, while the limbs ana
, top are usually left unused.
Even when the log reaches the mill
. scarcely more than half Of It goes to
the lumber pile. The slabs, which
, make up fourth to third Of the log.
: are sometimes burned for wood. Often
, they are burned In furnaces, without
serving any useful purpose.
, The rough lumber g0es to the factory.
: and in the planer. the lathe, and
\ through other processes the waste con-
!. tinues. In the finished desk or chair
= there remains not a fourth Of the orig
n inal wood Of the forest.
More permanently destructive than
. all other wastes IL that Of forest dres.
. 1t IL estimated that &25. OOO. 900 will not
cover the annual loss by Are to the
standing timber alone in the forests OF
the nation. But the Are destroys the
( saplings, the young shoots. and the
Il fallen seeds which produce the forests
j. Of another century. 1t destroys the
Q vegetable mold which has been gath
n ering for decades. The very soil n
i burned out and made unfit for valuable
y trees. Five hundred years OF forest
Q growth may be destroyed by IRE In {
y few hours.
o The principal cause Of forest flrcs h
the clearing Of land. Farmers put the
l. torch to their clearings. and then per
q init the fire to escape. Another fruitful
& source IL the carelessness OF hunter
y who leave the flames In their camps
II Sparks from the railroad engines kindll
It others. Many Ares are deliberately se
70 by timber thieves on government land
r to cover up their regulations.
lc The forest consumption OF this coun
II try IL enormous. The Department o.
le Agriculture estimates that the valu,
Is OF wood cut for manufacturing pur
'e poses and for fuel each year exceeds 1
p) billion Of dollars. The value added b,
Il processes OF manufacture II not len
er than half billion more.
I'd The department estimates that tn
of annual consumption of the forests 70
d nil purposes reaches $4,000. OOO, 90
is cubic feet. This represents pile tn
f. size Of the largest freight car for ever.
" family In the country. A tract Of foI
c. est one-third the area of New Yorl
I'd State Is stripped every year to suppl
O. this demand.
n Under this enormous consumption
Is IL no wonder that America II bein
mt rapidly despoiled of her forests. Their
ed are still large tracts Of valuable timbe
Of in the South and on the Pacific coas
but the immense forests OF Michiga
and Wisconsin are now practically d
nj nuded OF merchantable timber. Year
va ago the States Of the Northeast cease
an to be an important factor in the lumbe
re- trade.-I illustrated American.
'ts Queer Mail Matter.
M 1--WE run across some very Ques
Ia. things here sometimes" said one Of tn
:" pOstofiice employees yesterday, "but
~ think the very queerest piece OF ma