The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-08

NOW TO PRESERVE: FORESTS.
blii and this carries with IL the conferences
report on the forest reserve order. Tire
orser OF President Cleveland is thereby
Suspended until 1859. and regulations
which we're published few days ago in
the Poss-inteilsgencer will then be IN force.
This Ia great deal 10 have accomplished.
bat the next step now In 20 endeagor TO
have congress cede TO the state OF Wasss-
iagton and to the other states concerned
the lands now held by the United States.
There Ii no reason 10 suppose thai the
states will fart mere unwiseiy than con-
Ersss has done; and there Is no reason 20
believe that the new states will act less
wisely than the Old states have DONE bu;
rather that they viii seek 10 benefit by
the experience OF the older states East
ern newgrsp ers have talked O. the timber
thieves OF the West ana o, the wanscn
destruction % forests as If such an o.
Tense had been entirely unknown In the
East. The fact is that the most notorious
offenders are in Pennsylvania and New
York. and even now In the Keystone state
efforts to preserve the forests--or the lit
tie that Is left OF them-are opposed by
that element which, according to the
Eastern papers, has hacked and hewed the
forests at will and wlthous regard TO the
claims OF posterity. For several years, &C.
cordins even 70 the same authorities, the
1F az har
stem the tide OF destruction which has
besa sweeping away the timber areas CT
tkg older stases
II Is now proposed In Pennsylvania. in
which state. OF course. there are no Unit
d States lands. to set apart large areas
a Pike. Monroe Luzerne and other coun-
ies. OF not less than 1900 acres each;
Ut the fact tina; each OF these is situated
round the headwaters OF streams shows
he primary object OF the reserve Ore
.: them Is upon the Delaware watershed,
one upon the SusQuehanna and one upon
tho Ohio watershed. 1t Is proposed not
only to protect the flow of water. but to
make these reserves ultimately a source
CT revenue to the state. This Is an In
tsresting phase or the subject to this state
where we are not so much In need OF the
iormation OF water storage areas. Some
experiments have been made BIZ Wander
! blu at his Biltmore property, and 1t has
''een found that lands which are valueless
for any other purpose can be made quite
profitable by the cultivation Of forest
tention In Europe than In this country.
because there the denudation OF the forest
area has been going on for many hund-
reds OF years and the need OF repienish-
ment has long been apparent. Germany
has taken the lead. and the result il said
to have oeen most satisfactory. Unfortu-
nately. the particulars are not to be had,
bat from a casual paragraph In the news
papers recently published II is ascertalned
that BADEN Baden receives an average
yearly net revenue OF about 1850 an acre
from 1900 acres OF forest. and Prussia 81
an acre from nearly e.oeo0o acres OF tim
Der land. The only specific information
obtainable Is that Freudenstadt. In wu--
tembnsg. receives n net annual revenue OF
from $4,000 to $4,000 from about 5000 90
acres OF reserves. or more than enough to
pay all the municipal expenses OF the
city. the inhabitants OF which number
about 5000.
This policy Is exactly I'm consonance
with that advocated by the Western news
papers which were opposed to Cleveland's
order. We cannot conceive why this state
should refrain from using It's natural re-
sources In order TO benefit posterIty. II
that logic were TO prevail We would have
very little posterity to leave IL TO in this
state. Shall we also leave all the coal
unmined so that our grandchildren may
use its Shall we leave all the gold AM
copper and iron unmlned, because II We
use Il there viii he that much less left .a-
tuture ganeratoEsr The right policy -
TO AFFORD the means and provide the Tn
coufasement 81 a reconstruction Of the
forests. so that as trees are cut down new
ones may spring up Thus all the adj
yantages Of 81 forest reserve order are AZ
Forded, We cannot understand why We
should So 10 Canada 10 buy lumber when
we have It at cur doors. in order that
people unborn may not have 10 so to Can
ada for their lumber.