The Republican journal., 1903-01-22
MA1NE FORESTS.
Fires Source of Greatest Danger OF De-
f0restatfOn.

1oVI, recently ouDHcoeA w
says: o+ooa - ,o,,,a ho
an almost endless undertaking and mean
an OUTLAY of many thousands of dollars
to get an actual survey and exploration
of the whole State, but by the method
employed | believe the estimates OBJ
tanned to be as nearly correct as it is
possible by any means outside OF an ac-
tual survey. and much nearer than any
estimate ever obtained in the past.
'"The results of these explorations are
very satisfactory and show that there
are standing in the forests OF Maine at
this time 21 .239, 900, 900 feet OF spruce,
beside large quantities of pine, cedar.
hemlock, poplar and various species Of
hardwoods.
"From deductions made by Ralph S.
Hosmer. a field assistant Of the U. 5.
bureau of forestry, it is learned that
the annual growth is sufficient to war
rant the cutting of $4,000, 600 feet OF
spruce timber in the State each year
without depicting the supply.
cit is clearly apparent, therefore,
that the forests of the State are amply
able, by careful cutting, to meet the
needs and requirements OF the pulp and
saw-mills for an indefinite period, un-
less devastating fires and rulnouS WIND
stolms occur to cause damage and IN
jury tc the timber now standing and III
process of growth.
"From my knowledge of the condi-
tions existing in the timber producing
regions of Maine, | am satitied that the
supply of available material to carry on
our present pulp and lumber manufac
turing establishments, and such others
as may be built as time goes on, is sut1-
cient and ample; and l firmly believe
that there is no immediate danger OF a
timber famine in this State, provided
the necessary precautions against
wasteful cutting and forest fires are
carefully observed.
''The State is large in area, contain
ing 81, 500 square miles OF territory: VI
this area p, 900 square miles is forest
land. There are 9,47l $50 acres taxed by
the board of State assessors as wholly
wild land, but this does not include all
of the lumber producing land OF the
State. OF the plantations taxed as in
corporated towns at least One-half OF
their area is wild land and in addition
there is in nearly every incorporated
township from few hundred to several
thousand acres of timber land, which, in
the aggregate, adds very materially to
our lumber producing territory.
''It is also true that in addition to the
land in the old incorporated towns that
is actually timber producing at the pres
ent time, there are large areas once
used for agricultural,purposes that have
been allowed to go back to woodlan DIS.
In many instances the second growth is
small and of little or no value for manu-
facturiug purposes at present, but each
year certain percentage becomes
available, and in the course OF series
of years large amount OF lumber Will
be supplied from this source.
Actual deforestation, except from
forest fires, as | lave stated, can never
take place to any considerable extent
in Maine as the agricultural lands are
very largely occupied. On the other
hand, there is likely to be constant
increase in our lumber producing areas,
Oh account of there being so little proft
in cultivating dry, stony ground tor
farm crops and more or less OF such
lands are reverting to forest growth
each season. On the whole, it is safe
to reckon that there will be from II ,00O,-
600 to 100000 acres of land i'll this
State that will be lumber producing for
all time.
'Very nearly all the lumber OF Maine
which las been used in the manufac
ture of pulp and paper has been taken
from the drainage of the Androscoggln,
Kennebec and PenobscOt rivers. The
proportion has been AZ percent from
| the Androscoggin, 33 percent from the
Kennebec and 25 percent from the ZEN
obscot. Practically there has been
none taken from the st. John drainage
or from the southeastern portion OF the
State in Washington and Hancock
counties, both being large Wild land re-
gions.
| mo small amount of Names timber
wealth is found in its forests of white
birch. Little is said OF written OF the
white birch growth i'll the State, but
one has only to took into the matter a
little to learn that upward of 80, 600, 900
/ feet of white birch timber are taken
annually from our forests. The white
birch area is wide belt that extends
entirely across the State.
| 'No estimate has ever been made OF
| the amount Of this wood now standing,
! but it is safe to say that the quantity
now available and the future growth
will undoubtedly be sufficient to keep
running for many years all the hard
wood mills now IN existence anu dill IHe
new ones that may be put in from time
to time.
| "White birch is used largely by the
hardwood novelty mills of the State,
vet it's greatest utilization is in the
manufacture of spools. The spool fac
! tories of Maine annually produce about
! 500, 900, 900 spools, valued at more than
81 100000. Besides being used in the
production of spools much white birch
is cut into spool bars for shipment to
Europe. Other hardwoods are used to
greater or less extent in the manu-
| facture of small articles, but the con-
! sumption of white birch leads the field
i in this particular line.
''The beetle or saw fly, which 20 years
| ago destroyed all the larch or juniper
trees in New England and New York,
has disappeared, and reports from the
forest sections show that large quanti-
ties of this wood are again growing in
all the wooded areas of the State,
"In conclusion l wish. to reiterate
what l have previously said, that the
greatest danger to our forests is from
| fire. With reasonable care in cutting,
judging from the conservative esti-
mates of standing timber which have
been obtained there need be no fear of
our forests being destroyed through in
roads made in the timber belts by the
pulp and lumber industries of the State.
4 ,atfr hny III,