The Washington times., 1901-07-15
STUDYING NATIVE TREES
The Bureau of Forestry Has Many
Parties at Work.
Nearly Two Hundred Thousand Dol
lars Appropriated for This Years
WOrk-The Great Advances Made
fn the Dfvision-The OfEce Work.


lars Appropriated for This Years
Work-The Great Advances Made
in the Division-The OMce Work.
On the 1st of July the Division of
Forestry and three other scientific di-
visions of the United States Department
of Agriculture were advanced to bureaus
This was provided for by the last ses-
sion of Congress. which appropriated for
the expenses of the Bureau of Forestry
during its first year sls5,44o. The appro-
priation for the Division of Forestry
during the year just ended was sSs, $40
For the year 1s9s-99 it was s2S,520. or
about one-seventh of the present years
appropriation.
These figures show how rapidly the
forest work of the Government has been
expanded of late. There was a time
when the practical value of the scientific
Investigations carried on by the Govern
ment was not fully understood, and
farmers were inclined to think that the
money spent on experiment stations and
chemical laboratories was of little bene-
fit to them. Now the case is very diff
ferent. The improvements in agriculture
have increased the value of the farm
products of the country by many mil
lions of dollars annually.
The change from division to a bureau.
and the larger appropriation. will make
possible both an improved office organIZa-
tion and more extended field work The
bureau viii be provided with a much larg-
er office force and will be organized in
three divisions. But field work, not office
work, is what the bureau exists for. This
work has been going on during the last
year from Maine to California and from
Georgia to WASHINGTON. 1t includes the
study of forest conditions and forest prob
lens all over the country. the giving of
advice to owners of forest lands. and the
supervising of conservative numbering OPP
erations which illustrate forest manage
ment on business principles. This work
can now be greatly extended. Private
owners of some three million acres have
applied for this advice, which in every
case requires personal examination, and
about 1lI,Wo acres have been put under
management This land is in many tracts.
large and small. and is owned by individ-
ualS. clubs, and corporations. Several
State governments have also asked the
aid of the bureau. and last year the De-
partment of the Interior asked for work.
ing plans for all the forest reserves,
with the enormous total area of about A.
OJ1U00 acres. atee
The Bureau of Forestry is made up of
three divisions. which continue. with en-
larged facilities. work which was in
progress under the old Division OF For
estry. The division of forest manage
ment is in charge of Overton W. Price
the former superintendent of working
plans When the owner (private or pub
lic) of woodland wishes to consider the
possibilities of his property IL handled as
constant source of timber supply, the
tract must be examined by an expert to
ascertain the condition of the standing
timber, the prospects of reproduction, the
facilities for marketing. the best method
of harvesting the present crop SO as to
secure the largest present and future
yield, and the likelihood of success
under management. A preliminary re-
port IS then made. If the owner decides
on management, a working plan follows
This involves a careful study of the rate
of growth of the different kinds of
marketable timber, the computation OF
the proper interval between cuttings and
of the amount of timber to be harvested
and. if desired, the recommendation of
the necessary regulations to enable the
work to go on under contract.
The division of forest investigation.
makes studies of trees-of their rates of
growth, distribution, reproduction, and
habits-and investigates all the for
est problems connected with fires. lum-
bering, grazing, tree planting, stream
flow. and erosion
The chief of the division of records.
Otto J. ]. Luebkert. takes charge of all
office and routine matters. and also has
custody of the library of literature bear
ing on forestry, and of unique collec-
tion of photographs, which is continually
being added to. illustrating forest condi-
tions all over the United States.
The result of the work of the division
has been to turn practical forestry in the
United States from a doubtful experiment
into an assured success. Special studies
of some of the most important trees, com
mercially, have been made. from which
can be calculated their probable future
Weld Cheap methods of harvesting the
present lumber crop without injuring the
productivity of the forest have been put
in operation. The work of tree-planting,
particularly in the almost treeless West
era States of the plains. has been futher-
ed: the relation of the forest to the vol
ume of streams. erosion, evaporation, and
irrigation have been studied: matters CON
nected with irrigation and water supply
have been investigated; hopeful progress
has been made in the direction OF regu-
Iating grazing In the Western reserves In
a manner fair both to the important in
terests Of cattle and sheep owners and to
those who look to the reserves as a source
OF continuous supply of wood and water;
and studies of forest fires were conduct
ed with a view of reducing the great
yearly loss from this source. loss which
has been estimated at SoO.000.O0O.
Field work is TO go on this summer In
seventeen States There are in all lI9
persons engaged in the work of the bu-
reau. of this number eighty-one are stu
dent assistants-young men, largely col
legc students who expect to enter forest-
ry as a profession. and who serve during
the summer on small pay Tor the sake
of the experience gained
His Summer Vacation.