New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-01
COVE FACTS ABOUT FORESTRY.


The National Forestry Committee appointed
by the Academy Of Sciences. in It's report Oh
Nav 70 The Secretary of the Interior. recon-
mends the creation of forest service Which al
the outset would require an appropriation OF
$4,000 for salaries and which IL Is auii'''eu'
would nrobably have TO be enlarged after time
To many persons and especially 10 those VINO
have been in the habit OF regarding forests as
good things to get rid of so long as the process
OF destruction was Immediately beneficial to
their pockets in one way or another, TINS VIII
seem large sum TO pay for new branch oil
government administration. Positively consul
cred. i, is n large sum. bu1 the committee re-
counts certain facts which make it appear r''a-
lively small BY depredations alone. Cor ex-
ample without color Of legal right and to ii
great extent without even scmblance of ne
cesstv. the Government annually loses timber
worth several millions at the market price. The
cash value of timber destroyed by fire cannot
be calculated. but some suggestion of The mag
nitude OF the loss is conveyed by the statement
that .las, summer your committee, travelling
"for six weeks through Northern Montana ia
"bo and Washington. and through Western
"Washington and Oregon, were almost constant
..lv enyeoped in the smoke of forest fires"
sderation. il is not rash TO assume that a for
estry organization such as the committee recon-
mends would be able to render pretty COOL
account of the $2j0.OO0 which II would draw i'll
salaries.
Turning from this phase Of the question 10
the wide prospect of future calamity which for
est spollation forecasts. the people of the Cnileo
States cannot afford TO close their eyes to what
md In m :
of PREPARATION which they have provided. For
obvious reasons ii is impossible even 10 Specu-
late as 10 the value Of what may be. and in the
known history of the world has been. los, IN
consequence of the destruction of timber hy
the direct operation of floods on the one hand
and general Interference with natural arrange
ments for the distribution of moisture on the
other. But records show what the prudent and
far-seeng statesmen Of Europe have deemed 1t
necessary TO DO for the partial recovery of losses
which they knew TO be gigantic, and for future
security. The forest admin istraton system CT
France was established essentially in It's prcsen;
form sgyrn,y years ago. 1t is charged with the
csx~~0f thc forest property of the Government,
Of commuuitie, and of institutions. and with
some oversight over private holdings. The ser
vice numbers about five thousand men. The
scale ana conducted with equal precision. In
neither case would the abandonment Of the sys-
tenn be conceivable British India started late
bnt its forestry operations have reached en0:
nous proportions. and no feature OF the English
rule is now reckoned more bcneficent. These
examples and that Of the Dominion Of Canada
are certainly impressive, as showing what is
considered essential 10 general prosperity. now
nv oh ri vi
which have had more serious conditions 10
confront than are surely approaching in this
country.
But il may be said that the Government Of
the United states Is not warranted in establish
Ing on a scale. however modest. a system which
would expand indefinitely and ultimately in
yolye stupcndous expenditure. II is true that
other countries devote great sums TO foreign
annually Prussia Ss.0O0.000 and British India
S3G0OO0O These are large amounts certainly,
but they do not appear TO be recklessy ext ava
CANT IN view Of the fact that France derives a
net revenue from It's forests of nearly s3.O00.0D,
Prussia OF about SG.000.000. and British India
OF about S3GO0OO0 On the whole, therefore,
II Is evident that, looking into the future, advO-
Gates Of an intelligent system OF forest cultiva-
ton IN the United States are not forced to an
ticlpate a dismal balance-sheet. which could be
justified to the national Intelligence only by q