Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-12-02
OUR
N AT V F.
TREES
The Distribution Of Trees.
THOMAS H. MACBRIDE, Pm. D..
Professor of Botany, Iotrd State
University.

V.-The Distribution Of Trees.
1yA UT, however interesting the sim
~ gle tree may be, marvellous In
~ it's structure and surprisingly
wonderful in its consequent
longevity, 1t is after all not as individ-
uals that trees attain for us their high
est, most absorbing fascination. An in
dividual man may be interesting. but it
is his social relationships and tenden-
cies that make him great. He is the
unit of the nation. In something the
same way the tree, though individual
~ attractive, charming, yet comes to
superlative Importance only when we
think of 1t in its wider relationships.
The tree is the unit Of the forest. Not
only so, but it is also true that for the
tree, as for the man, complex relation
is essential. Lone trees there are, but
an isolated tree, a tree set off from all
fellowship, from all its congeners, Is
like a man without a country. Every
tree implies forest. Many transplant
ed trees, set out alone or in single
rows, fail to come to perfection for
this very reason -they are forest
trees" In the Mississippi valley or on
the plains a lone tree is almost always
q cottonwood tree Who ever saw
lone pine or q lone oak or lone hick-
Dry? Cottonwoods accordingly do well
on the prairies, whether planted alone
or in rows. Planted in groves, only
the outer trees survive. Those inside
the plcntation die. They cannot en-
dure the crowded forest relations.
The constitution Of forest Is al.
ways interesting. Men in their social
relations are generally peculiarly e1-
elusive. segregated, those Of O. certain
sort set Off by themselves. This Is
sometimes the case with trees, more
frequently not. The exclusive habit is
the old habit an old fashioned con-
sentative habit, practiced in our time
chiefly by the conifers, the larches,
spruces. redwoods. pines. There are
forests. for instance, almost exclusive
ly pine, where one may travel for miles
and miles and not encounter tree OF
any other sort. On the other hand.
more modern trees are more social.
They constitute q mixed forest where
oak and birch, maple and linden and
a hundred others grow side by side.
Even here, however, the arrangement
is not SO generous, not 80 idyllic, as
might possibly be supposed. Such
trees stand in fercest rivalry. The To-
cation, the nature of the soil, offers to
some extent basis for concord, sug-
gests a modus vivendi, but that is all
Each is keen to displace the other.
The elm would make an elm forest
If it could, and 80 the other species.
In general, perhaps the most strik-
ing feature of the forests Of the earth
is their ubiquity. They occupy or have
lately occupied the habitable globe.
There is even reason to believe that
the forests were once, even in recent
times, much more extended than at
present. Apart from the destruction
wrought by civilized man, all the for
ests of North America are diminishing,
were diminishing even before the ad-
vent of the Puritan. Nay. If we con-
slider times long gone by we may safe
" say that forests have at one time or
another covered every foot Of the land
surface of the globe. Forests migrate.
They move up and down the meridi-
ans, especially with the changing cli-
mates. and climate has changed. the
biologists tell us, great many times.
Being living things. trees are depend
ent upon q certain amount Of heat and
moisture; being active, Independent
plants, they must have, in addition.
abundant light In the active season. A
tree is an exceedingly sensitive plant
It has in its foliage an immense ex-
panse of surface, which must be main
tanned in perfect health. Hence 1t Is
that trees do not flourish where the
average amount Of heat and rainfall
would seem sufficient. They often are
unable to meet the extremes In these
conditions where the average would
be entirely satisfactory. The average
rainfall in Iowa and other parts Of the
Mississippi valley is sufficient for
forest, but an occasional drought al
most obliterates the groves and woods.
In high ATTITUDES the average amount
Of light Is adequate. But the summer,
the active season for the tree. is too
short The forest cannot grow.
1t is evident. then. that forests occu-
by only the best parts Of our world.
the best parts us man esteems them,
the best in all climatic conditions and
the best in soil. Probably nearly every
land occupied by man where he has
left for himself q record was at the
outset covered with trees. There are
some exceptions. but not many. Even
part of Egypt and the valley Of the
Nile was once wooded. say the schol-
ars. Palestine. Asia Minor. all the
lands around the middle sea. Ameri-
cans need not be told that civilization
tends to forest removal. The very
word forest signifies wilderness. AS
civilizanon grows the woods recede.
The civilization of the last 200 years
Of the Anglo-Saxon type. SO called. has
been especially inimical to the forests
Of the world. The Englishman reads
his Bible, "a man was famous accord
ing us he had lifted up axes upon the
thick trees" and forthwith sets about
to make for himself reputation. But
Englishmen are not the only sinners.
Almost all parts of the old Roman
world, once forest, are now treeless,
some Of them desert.
Existing forests, then, are in a sense
remnants. They are of two sorts
first, indigenous, the wild, unkept, un.
cared for gifts Of nature; second. cult
waited woodlands now cared for, artifl.