Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-17
WASTE OF THE FORESTS.
Observations of an Army Omccr in
Montana.

observations OF Army OHlcer in
| Montana.
Minneapolis Journal.
In a long argument On the question of
forest reserves, Lieutenant Ahern of Fort
Custer, Mont, who is an acknowledged
authority on the subject upholds the Cleve-
land order He takes much the same view
of forest reservations in general that the
Journal has advanced, and propheses that
the Campaign in the interest of Montanas
most reliable resource has just begun" The
forest, Lieutenant Ahern thinks, should
be as a crop, as, by the way, 1t Is
treated in India, and by European govern
ments a good deal more solicitous for the
welfare of their people than is our own.
Here, OF course, the demands incident to the
next election leave very little time for an
intelligent study of active furtherance Of the
real needs of the people who elect congress
men. Says the lieutenant: "The annual
growth of Montana timber would yield many
times the demand in this state, provided
forest fires are kept out Check forest fires
and the forest floor would become deeper
each year, more seed would germnate, more
water would be held in reserve for the late
summer demand, and steadier and greater
growth would be noted In every tree. BY the
present methods hundreds Of square miles
are swept clear each year, fire, wind and rain
carry off the forest floor. so that reforestation
is impossible There Is, of course, one in
evitable result of this, and 1t is one the older
parts OF the United States already suffer
from to the extent of millions yearly. This
result-foods, hot winds cyclones, destructive
storms Of all knds-will necessarily become
year by year more and more serious and
widespread.
1t Is claimed by the lieutenant that corpo-
rate influence was the main issue in Montana,
that two companies, dominating the state,
led all the attack on the forest reserve order,
that their arguments were false, that neither
mi ing nor numbering would be retarded by
the order and that at the last mining Is but
for time, while the forest and the farm,
the latter dependent on the timber more
clearly in Montana than elsewhere, are for
ever. with proper care, The forest reserve
would not have diminished timber cutting In
Montana; the reserves were planned 20 be
used But IL made to be closed there were
IL 900 900 acres OF forest in the state remain
ing and OF the 5000 900 acres in the reserve
limits 70 per cent is so situated that II would
probably not be used by this generation.
About 700 900 acres was reserved In the
Bitter Root valley, less than one-third of
which Is good timber land at present, the re-
mainder serving as a water conservative and
lnsuring steady supply to those rich fruit
lands where irrigation is so necessary.
sad picture is painted for Montana II
present methods continue Says Lieutenant
Ahern: Let the milling companies continue
their present methods, and thirty years
hence water will be scarce In August for the
present number OF Bitter Root farmers. Such
a valley should at that time support ten
times its present population and water to
spare. For every square mile OF forest
cleared in that valley 100000 cubic yards
OF water will run to waste in May and June.
Let the devastation go on as at present and
in fifty years our timber resources will aver
age that seen by the railroad traveller in this
state. A party OF Wisconsin lumbermen. after
looking over the Blackfoot country, were