Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-08-24
OUR FORESTS
Must Be Protected or Climate
Will Change.

Interesting Report ON the Appalachian
Forests From secretary Wilson,
Government Reserves are Favored
They Will be Seif.Supporting- Com
gress to act.
WASHINGTON, ID. c. Aug, "a
"Unless the present forest on the
slopes of the southern Appalachian
mountain ranges are preserved and the
denuded watersheds partly reforested
the entire climatic character of nearly
all the southern states will be mater
tally changed for the worse, was the
answer given by Secretary of Agricnl-
ture Wilson when he wac asked as TO
the Importance Of the movement to
locate forest reserves in the southern
Appalachian region. The secretary
has conducted a series of Investigations
reaching over period Of years. He
has made personal visits TO the dis
tricts and has had valuable assistance
from other departments of the govern
ment. He is deeply interested in the
subject of forest reserves and is NOV
Ang with insistent vigor to secure i'm
tportant financial assistance from con-
gress. In the mind Of the secretary
the question involved is not so much
necessity of securing a suitable tim
ger supply for future generations, but
sthe preservation Of the natural eli.
mates of regions. He points out in
his report that the headwaters Of nu-
merous streams such as the Ohio,
Tennessee, Savannah, Yadkin and
Roanoke are to be found in this region.
BY the denuding of the slopes OF the
mounains the entire character of these
streams is being changed and this
change effects the districts through
which they flow. There will be
steady deterioration of the lands along
these streams if the watersheds of
he59 eaters are net protected.
The matter was originally brought
to his attention through proposition
to appropriate money for the APP
palachian park in this southern region.
He reported against park and in fa-
Vor of a forest reserve. His main rea-
son for this is a matter of cost A
park is not remuneratiye. Each year
the large trees are cut from a forest
reserve and marketed. The income
from this pays the expense of main
tanning the reserve aud in time will
pay the purchase price.
The secretary recommends that the
ares be purchased in so, 900 and 100,-
900 acre tracts. He says that some
OF the lands can be purchased for 81
an acre, and in other intances SIS must
be paid, but he thinks the lands may
be acquired at an average price of So
per acre.
He concludes his report TO congress
with this paragraph:
The rapid consumption of our tim
Der supplies, the extensive destruction
OF our forests by fire and the resulting
increase in the rregulaNty of the flow
Of water in the important streams
have developed among the people in
this country an interest ia forest prob
lens which is one of the marked fea
lures Of the close OF the century. In
response to this growing intrest the
government has set aside an area of
more than 20, 900 square miles There
is not a single government forest re-
serve in the east
1t is interesting to note that the
secretary of agriculture contemplates
making all these reserves self-suppor-
: ting. He thinks that enough timber
should be taken each year to pay for
the cost Of preservation.
The secretary is impartial as to
where this work Of maintaining for
ests shall go on, as long as general
good is accomplished. The report on
the Appalachian range was drawn out
by the fact that So, 600 was appropria
ted for the expense of investigation.
As congress must take the initial
move in these efforts, it is likely that
nothing will be done until public in
terest IS aroused on this establishment
of these forest reserves and the re-
foresting of the denuded water sheds
would greatly protect the mountain
Gus regions Of West Virginia from the
floods