The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1902-06-22
FOREST RESERVATION, - SOME
STARTLING FACTS,


some startling facts, according TO the
Brooklyn standard showing how our
National resources are sQuandfed
were presented f6r public consideration
by Senator Depew during the consider
alton Of the bill for establishing what
Is known as the Appalachian Forest
Reserve In the Senate. The bill was
reported early in February from the
Committee on Forest Reservations and
the Protection cf Game Of which Mr..
nepew il a member. and rlle project
has found wide favor. Mr. Depew de-
clare$i that "the squandering of forest
wealth in this country has continued
too lorg unchecked and points out
the fact. not creiitahle to our foresight
as 8 people. that the governments Of
tine Old World realized hundreds of
years ago that upon their forests de-
pended their national prosperity. and
protected their wooded tracts accord
ingly.
The bill under consideration pro-
poses 10 authorize the Department of
Agriculture to purchase i.Oco,ooo acres
Of land in the Southern Appalachian
Mountains, at cost Of sle,o0o.ooo for
making a government reservation like
those in the West The tract lies
within seven States. Virvinia, West
Virginia. North and South Corolina,
Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. It
is about $50 miles long and OF varying
breadth II is from 400 to 800 feet
above the sea, and comprises part Of
the richest agricultural country in the
United States. 1t is museum" Of
forest growth, with 1871 varieties Of
trees, all hard wood and is the most
interesting forest in the world, EN-
bracing woods that can be grown in
temperate semi tropical and tropical
countries. The rich deep soil there
has been forming for thousand years
or more and TO use the Senator's
simile, is like an enormous sponge, for
absorbing, retaining and distributing
the rain fall To denude the soil Of
forests would change all this in five
years time and make the tract a bar
ren waste, because the soil would be
gradually washed away by the heavy
rainfalls. The slopes of the noun
tains vary from 20 to 70 degrees The
waters from them run on one side to
the Atlantic and on the other to the
Gulf Of Mexico. The streams are the
tributaries of seventeen important
rivers, including the James, the Ca
tawba. the Yadkin, the Tennessee. and
the Chattahooehee.
AS 10 destruction by freshets. caused
wholly by the decreasing OF noun
tains, Mr. Depew cites a case last
spring where the freshet on the Ca
tawba. sweDt awav million and half
dollars worth of farm buildings and
stock. the entire loss by freshets in
streams being s1S,OOO,OO0.
This work of preserving the forests
must be done by the. general Govern
ment, for since the tract covers many
states no single state can do It,
New York has spent much in protect
in the Hudson by purchasing large
tracts in the Adiroadacks, and pro-
poses to add to the reserve. As to the
Appalachian reserve, the Agricultural
Department estimates that within five
years the forest will be self-sustaining
and after that a source Of increase
revenue for all time 10 come. The
owners prefer to sell to the Govern
ment for that reason but lumber com
panles are getting hold Of the land at
$3.50 and So an acre and stripping Oft
the timber. It is time this sort of work
uyas stonnad