The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-01-23
PAPER ON FORESTRY,
High School Student Discusses the
Subject inteIiiqently.

hecenIly Y. ". AnuIeWS, ClleI IRE war
den of the state, sent to Supt. E. B.
Uline copy of his seventh annual re-
port, and with view of helping to
educate public sentiment Mr.. Andrews
requested the superintendent to have one
of the brightest pupils write a short
essay on forestry" to be read before the
school and if practicable to be printed in
one of the local papers.
James Swan, student, prepared the
following:
Forestry, if it means anything at all,
means to most unthinking citizens, moth
ing more than an expensive novelty in
the departments of the state, a fad, or
the hobby of profession of some sentf-
mental lover of Nature But it is pleas
ant to note some occasional Indications
of the rise of new spirit, and a lessen
ing of the general Indifference, or opposi-
ton to this important question. Among
the states that have already taken hold
of the work are New York, Pennsylvania,
Michigan and few others of the east.
The federal government began under
Harrison to reserve forest lands, and
there are now, including the national
parks, over 100000 acres of such land
in our country. Though little has as yet
been done, beginning has been made,
towards growing a new and vigorous
forest to replace the old, by rep1anting
or reseeding from the mother tree and
protecting the young growth from its
greatest enemy; fire. At the last annual
convention of the Wholesale Lumber
Dealers association the subject was dis
cussed as being one of vital Importance
to them, and a preparatory movement
was begun. Many important Journals are
devoting department to forestry and
so taken altogether the outlook is far
from HOPELESS.
But there is urgent need of the adop-
ton by the legislature at once of some
definite plan for buying and reforesting
the waste lands of the state. Nothing
will move the representatives to such
an extensive action except a strong popu-
lar sentiment for forestry. 1t is the aim
of this article to point out, briefly, the
necessity, the possibilities and adyan-
tages, and the methods of forest manage
ment, with which the public must become
familiar before the proper legislation can
be had.
Probably no more fitting text could be
chosen than the following words of Presi
dent Roosevelt: "The fundamental idea
of forestry is the perpetuation OF forests
by use. Forest protection is not an end
of itself; it is means to increase and
sustain the resources of our country, and
the industries that depend on them. The
forest land water) problems are perhaps
the most vital internal questions of the
Umited States This brief statement of
the principle of forestry should turn our
minds to the problem in Minnesota; and
the longer the delay the more evident will
become the folly of the delay, for, with
the ever increasing demand and no pro-
visions for permanent supply, it is GER
tain that within few years the ques
ton of obtaining lumber at any price
will be serious one-to say nothing of
provision for following generations.
In his annual report, Chief (Forest)
Fire Warden General Andrews says that
the estimated twenty or thirty billion
feet of pine remaining in Minnesota is be-
ing cut at the rate of one and one-half
billions year, and the main supply will
in quarter of century become ex-
hausted. Over 10000 carloads of lum-
Der were shipped east out of the state of
Washington last year-a most striking
INDIGESTION of the decrease of our supply.
And although the lumber industry alone
is immense, much depends on the sup
ply of dozen other products, as wood
pulp, maple sugar, rosin and turpenSine.
Quoting farther from General Andrews:
IsIt is estimated that there are, in scat
tered localities and principally in north
ern Minnesota .3,000000 acres of waste
sandy, hilly on rocky land that is only
fit for beaFang pine sorest. Hence, if
the state were now to begin to plant that
land with pine at the rate of $500
per year, the whoae would in eighty years
become a we1l-stoeked Normal forest,
yielding perpetualiy thereafter 675,00dOO0
feet, board measure. The Eet annual
revenue to the state would be just what
this amount of 675 5000, 600 would, at
such future time, be worth. 1t snight be
So 100000 or more. What a great en-