The Anaconda standard., 1899-01-29
TO PRESERVE THE FORESTS
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS AssoCIA.
TON TAKES A HAND,
A Brief Prepared for Presentation to the
Joint High Com
mission. 4

| New York. Jan. 2S.-The American
| Newspaper Publishers association has
! prepared brief looking to the preserva-
tion of the forests, which will be pre-
sented to the joint high commission for
adjustment of questions between the
United States and Canada. and of which
the following is an abstract:
I'VE desire to direct the attention of the
American members of the joint high COM
mission to the urgency Of provident pol
icy which shall protect and preserve our
forests. The best authorities In the
United States on this subject say that
the denudation of our forests by pulp
mills and sawmills in the four states Of
Maine, New Hampshire. Vermont and
New York is progressing at the rate of
1,70o square miles per annum. The chief
of the bureau of forestry Of the depart
ment of agriculture at Washington call
culates that. forest fires are causing an
annual loss of 100000 600.
"The latest records of the geographical
survey show that the low-water level of
our important lakes and rivers has been
declining steadily for the last 10 years,
reaching their lowest point in the year
1885, and that the decline of the water
level on Lakes Huron and Michigan is
especially noticeable. Many lakes in the
Northwest have entirely disappeared.
I'm considering the timber problem of
the country. spruce wood constitutes a
most important factor. There is no avail
able spruce in the United States west OF
New York, except a limited amount in
West Virginia, a patch of 20, 900 acres in
Michigan, owned by Niagara. paper mills,
and similar area in Wisconsin 1t is
therefore, fair to consider the question of
preserving the spruce forests as applying
mainly to New England and New York.
In the state of Maine there are APO timber
townships. but all of the townships acces-
sible to large rivers are entirely denuded
of their valuable timber In New Hamp-
shire, at the present rate of cutting, the
state forestry commission has said that
the entire forest resources of the state
would be exhausted in IL years, others
have fixed eight years. Lumbermen in
that state cut everything down to six
inches at the stump, so that there is no re-
production by growth.
vermont has already reached a point
where it can barely supply it's home de-
mand 81 ST,z sTi #tE@e
THE state of New York, by constitu-
tional amendment has prohibited the cut
covering 1000 square miles, setting aside
the Adirondack park, which contains
2,so7,76o out of 3,5Ssso3 acres of available
spruce area in the state. An appropriation
of Sl,5000o0 has been made recently for the 4
requirement of additional forests
Forestry associations have been or
ganized in the states of New York, Penn
sylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, U1ah, +
Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota. Texas, North
Dakota, Wisconsin and South Carolina,
and forestry commissions have been es-
tablished in Maine, New Hampshire, New
York, Colorado, California and Wisconsin.
There are now 30 forest reservations, en-
bracing an area of $4,000 square miles and 4
extending over large portions of 10 states
and territories.
"rhree commissions in New Hampshire
have reported that the present methods of
numbering, If continued, will entail bale
full scenic, climatic and economical re-
suits, injuring health, property and occu-
pations of all citizens, impairing the in
dustrial development of the state and rem
dering intermittent the flow of the rivers
which are most important to agriculture
and manufacture. The interest of the 4
public generally, as distinguished from +
those of a s-lumbermen-require the 4
conservation of the forest resources. In r
view of those serious aspects of the situa- \
tion, we are confident that an enlightened I
selI-lnterest VIII lmpel tne tfeaty-makers 4
in dealing with Canada to follow that +
provident policy which shall keep our j
future wants in view and which shall not i
put a premium upon the destruction of 4
great national treasures
1.-The present wasteful method will in a
aict upon the agricultural interests of the
country an injury which will be felt in 4
every part and which, In the mountainous i
regions, threatens to become disastrous II
and irremediable."
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