Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-21
SPRUCE ENOUGH.
The Forests of Maine Are
Practically |nexbaustib|e'
Commissioner Ring Talks Interest
ingIy on Subject.
With Proper Care, We Will Always
Have Spruce Here.

| Inc current number of the Scientific
American has an article on the paper
OF the future. 1t is quite exhaustive
and concludes with the statement that
before long paper which is very thin,
/ yet not transparent and is capable of
being printed upon both sides must be
invented in order to conserve the raw
| material necessary for the production
OF the great quantities of paper required
IN the publishing business of the world
commissioner Ring was asked about
this by Journal reporter and he said
| that IN his opinion there was sufficient
| spruce timber in North America to last
| forever, If properly cared for. There
| nave been practically no inroads made
upon the Canadian spruce forests, said
he, and there are still great tracts of
such timber in the United States in
which the sound of the woodman's axe
has never been heard. Right here in
Maine there are thousands and thou
sands and thousands of square miles
of virgin spruce forests and if they
are properly cared for, the destructive
forest fires kept out and not cut to
| "se'IS, liiC supply 10 plcSllIcllly lIth-
haustible.
When I was very young man."
said the commissioner, folks would
stand around, just as they do, today,
and point out with wise shakes of the
head that the spruce would all be gone
in 10 or 20 years. Today we are cut
ting more spruce in Maine than ever
before and there is a plentiful supply
left. But, not stopping there, visit the
sorting gaps along the Kennebec river
and you will find that there is no
diminishing of the size of the logs from
what they were dozen years ago. The
standard remains the same. This is
| true on the Penobscot and all waters
of Maine.
| ITO be sure, a large amount of small
err spruce is cut these times than there
used to be, but it is cut for the pulY
mills. which can use smaller timber.
and not for the saw mills.
| conditions have changed in the har-
vesting of timber, as it has in othei
things. No longer are the land owner
| willing to have trees cut so as to leave
a stump anywhere from four to si>
| feet tall. They insist that all trees
shall be cut down close to the ground
| This results in closer cutting of tn
| lots than was formerly the case. Again
| the tops of the trees are not left in the
| woods, as was the case before the day
of the pulp mill, but are trimmed ouf
and foated down to the pulp mill, where
they are made into paper.
How many stop to think what Thu
means?
Very few
| "But it means this that the amount
of timber which is scaled in cutting
a given number of trees, today, is much
greater than it was 20 years ago. The
result is a greater yield of timber pc,
acre than was formerly the case. People
or at least the majority when they talk
about the great increase in the amount
of the timber cut in Maine do not stop
to think that the gain is due in no
small way to the discontinuance of the
wasteful practices of other days. Yet
that is the truth of the matter.
To-day. the saw is taking the place
of the axe and by it's use the yield in
feet of lumber to a township is some
thing remarkable. Only man who ha.:
owned timber lands and operated upon
them can realize what it means to save
a foot or two on each tree felled. II
they could we would not hear so much
about the disappearance of the spru e
forests as we do
In discussing the spruce supply il
must be kept in mind that this tree
grows much more rapidly than any
other timber. unless it be the pine
Under ordinary conditions spruce will
grow in 25 years from a seeding to i
size which makes it perfect for pull
timber and another five years will put
it in the saw log class. This, with the
proper care of forests, means that, as
1 have already said, that the spruce
forests of Maine are practically in
exhaustible.
But in order to properly care fol
these vast timber tracts, SO as to pre-
serve them for the future it is neces
sary that the State and all interested
shall keep watchful eye upon them
This means that an efficient corps ot
, fire wardens must at all times be main.
| tanned for the purpose of protecting
< these lands. These men will be trained
| in the art of eXtinguishing fires of thi:
; mature; they will be kept constantly
watching for the first incipient blaze
| in order that it shall be stamped on
, before doing thousands of dollars O.
damage. That such warden seryic,
is essential to the well-being of Maine'
timber resources is unquestioned; tina
it, must be had is agreed by all. Blu
the land owners must do their part
They must see to it that the timbe
t is properly cut and not wasted. The,
), will do this. 1t is for their interest t,
do So" -4-l4tA'