Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-01-06

IL OVN
! n ATIV F.
Is TREES
...By...
4 THOMAS II. MAcBRIDE. Ph. D..
Professor # Y,n Bc:esg lo'0a State
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K.-Forestry In the Unite,
i States.
I"\HE more obvious purposes D
i forestry being, as we hav'
Il seen, the conservation and per
i petuation Of forest wealth, l
Is easy to see that in such countr,
as our own such science would hither
to find little hearing. To the average
American one word was needed to de
scribe the resources Of his country, for
est resources and all-inexhaustible
Besides, were the forests not largely IL
the way Of better things? The wal
nuts, hickories, sycamores, however
splendid, Of the Wabash valley must
Of right give way to agriculture, t.
support an aggressive and rapidly
growing population of farmers. From
the days Of the landing of the pill
grims until the close Of the civil wal
| there was almost everywhere a super
abundance Of trees. The marvellous in.
crease in population, the wonderful de-
velopment Of the country since thai
time, have, however, long ago put an
entirely different face on the forest
question. The scarcity Of timber in
many parts of the country and the
rapid disappearance Of many of the
more valuable varieties are now appre.
ciated by everybody. Hickory for wag,
on stock is almost unobtainable; wal
nut furniture has gone out because
walnut lumber Is no longer to be
found; we are going to Honduras for
mahogany. Intelligent men can tell
you almost to year how long the sup
ply of white pine will hold out at the
present rate Of consumption-only a
few years. The mills along the Missis-
sippi from Minneapolis to st. Louis are
doomed. The vast bodies of Georgia
pine are melting away as fast as scores
of mills can convert them into lumber.
Even our mountain forests are going
the same way. The vast accumula-
tons of the Sierras are vanishing with
u rapidity that alarms even the most
sanguine optimist Of the land Of gold
In Oregon and Washington men are
like the dwellers by the Wabash-they
think the trees nuisance; they prefer
hopyards and wheatfields. Add to all
this the destruction wrought by fire,
Gehenna that never goes out, millions
Of dollars lost in a single year-add all
this, and 1t becomes evident to the
lCdol oDcSlNlu tbol StSh AL ALhSiASd
the time for the forester has come.
All this has reference to our timber
supply only, but let us not forget that
every other factor in the forest prob
lem is equally upon us. Our rivers
are everywhere choked with the prod
ucts of erosion, our valleys torn by
freshets and floods, while in localities
far too many the steady flow of noun
tain streams on which irrigation de-
ponds has been exchanged for alter
mating failure and flood. This is not
the voice Of the pessimist; this is a
simple statement Of what any one
may see who chooses to give the mat
ter the slightest attention.
Now. the Americans are proud
people. They are not anxious to ap-
pear before the world incompetent in
affairs of simple business, the wise
use of the natural resources which are
so much their boast; they are cour-
ageous people and do not hesitate to
act once the time for action seems
fully to have arrived. We have there
fore the highest expectation that in
fields of effort, American enterprise
will yet prove itself adequate. In
deed, a beginning has been made. All
unnoticed, for more than twenty-five
years patriotic men have been striving
to educate our people for just such a
time as the present. We have, in fact,
for years maintained commission OF
forestry in connection with the depart
ment Of agriculture, but its duties
have been advisory only. Its publica-
tons. however, aided by the voluntary
efforts Of various forestry associations
in all the older states, have kept the
question alive and ever before the
public. Up to 1891 nothing whatever
was done by the government Of the
United States in the way Of caring for
its public forest lands. In the words
Of Mr.. Fernow, "rhe government
seemed to be anxious to be rid Of the
land. and the people seemed anxious
to get rid of the timber" The forests
of the country were simply indiscrim'
inately plundered. sometimes In &C.
cordance with the forms Of law, more
frequently without. In March, 1891.
President Harrison by proclamation
set apart the first forest reserve. about
100000 acres. since called the Vel
lowstone park reservation. President
Harrison continued the same policy
during his entire administration. set
ting apart thus altogether some A.
100000 acres. President Cleveland,
advised by his ever to be remembered
secretary Of agriculture, Secretary
Morton, continued along the same line
adding during his second administra'
ton 100000 acres more. In the
same way President Mckinley reserv.
ed about 100000 acres more. bring
ing the total timber reserve Of the
United States now up to nearly 3d.
100000 acres.
It must be remembered that reserva'
ton simply withdraws from the ordi
nary process of purchase or settlement
the territory so withdrawn, making
no provision whatever for the admin
istration of such territory. AS con-
sequence. abuses continue almost as
had az before. Many Of the reserva'
lions have been terribly damaged by
fire. The Priest river reserve for In
stance has been almost totally destroy
ed A recent government report, part