Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-08-29
NEW YORK FORESTRY
PLAN PROPOSED By DEPART
MENT OF AGRICULTURE.
National Importance of Water Stor-
age-The One-Inch Overflow or
Niagara and Other Details.

pers and magazines workable plan
for the preservation of forests is at
last before the public. At the request
Of the New York Forest Fish and
Game commission the Division OF For
estry of the United States Department
of Agriculture has prepared plan foi
forest working for township 40 in TN
Adirondacks. The plan should bf
widely read, for, If it IS 80 be anything
more than mere academic paper. thf
people of the state must reverse or
modify their decision OF 1894, When by
constitutional amendment they voted
q sweeping hands Off with reference
10 the Forest Reserve 1t vas then dc
clared that the laws Of the state nov
owned or hereafter acquired consutu'
ing the Forest Preserve as now hNed
by law shall be forever kept as Wild
forest land. They shall not be leased
sold or exchanged or be taken by any
cooperation, public or private nor shall
the timber therein be sold, removed on
destroyed"
It was to have been expected that
The wisdom of this vote by the people
of New York would be called in qnes
sweeping measures are uuwise and US
ually add "A greater element OF eVlI
than the one sought to- be removed
Then again there are, no doubt, pow
erful interests opposed to the preserva
tion idea altogether, destructive and
nefarious and grasping as such opposl'
ton may appear 80 the disintorested
observer and to the lover Of the trees
On the merits of the ease further
more the fact is that the wild forest
land plan Is not forestry, is, perhaps,
not good for the trees and is probably
not in the interest of the general wei
fare
But what proyocaipu drove the
good natured people OF our greatest
state to such extreme measures 1t
was felt at the time those who knew
something Of the theory and art OF for
estry that the sweeping hands off
was not the wisest plan, aud ii is more
than likely that none Of these people
favored IT, or favor it now. as a lasting
policy: but there was an oyerwhelm-
ing conviction that with the forests
menared as they then were, the very
safest course was to make sure that
not a tree should he touched Tho very
extreme of caution Of the popular ac-
ton in 1894 is perhaps one Of the surest
indications that now after the lapse
of seven years the state of New York
itself may be safely allowed, by new
amendment, to go in and take care of
Of the Forest Reserve. That such re
consideration OF the question may not
be far distant is. as we have said, the
r,In T,,.
Township 30 any value at this time
The working plan prepared by the
Division of Forestry for Township 80
Is intended TO show what the practical
result might bo If the public forests Of
the state of New York were preserved
and bcautidcd by scientific forestry as
developed and followed in other conn
tries whore civilized men and the trecs
come into contact as older and more
intimate friends Township 80 forms
part of The town of Long Lake Ia Ham
iltOu county. and is one of the largest
and most compact blocks Of state lnnds
within the Adirondack park. The area
Is IS eco acres. The experts and scien
lists of the national department of
agriculture have gone over every foot
of this land
Under the systematic and conSCrva-
tive system of management devised in
the plan proposed by the Department
Ur Agriculture, there would be no in
reference whatever with the value of
the forests as a conserve of the water
supply There is on the township suf-
hcjont stand of mature spruce, pine
and balsam to insure profitable lumber
ing under economical and conservative
methods.
The township is covered with virgin
forest, in which the annual decay of the
over mature trees Offsets the annual
growth, and each year many large tree
die or are blown down and decay
whereas If they were harvested they
would mean considerable revenue
aud the producing power of the forest
being uuimpaired, the conditions OF
growth would he improved With con.
aoryatiye numbering successive crop
might be cut from the forest ut re.
curing intervals for an indefinite pc
li0d.
Under practical forestry. then. III,
tract would yield sustained reveuu,
without in any way interfering witt
the objects for which the Forest Pre-
serve was created and without injury
% its natural beauties
The report lays down as rul.
which would insure the safety Of the
forests and preserve their functions ae
a conserve of the water supply aua
public recreation ground that no trees
should DO Cut except as should he de-
tUminCd upon after thorough studs
OF the effect of the cuttings upln The