Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-18
A PLEA FOR THE TREES
INTERESTING FACTS REGARDING
GROWTH IN CALIFORNIA.
Life Traced for Two Thousand Years
Prof. Dudley's Argument for
Their Preservation.

for more than two thousand years, ana
had been successfully attacked by forest
fires exactly 1869, 4e3, 324 and Doh years
ago, these dates, at least one of them oc-
curing before the beginning of the Chris
tan era, being more accurately and I'M
assailably fixed than many important
events in the past century.
This astonishing record Is contained In
letter to the senator from Prof. William
Russell Dudley, vice president of the Amer
lean Forestry Association, and head of the
department of systematic botany at Leland
Stanford University, in support of the
movement to preserve the California big
trees.
Prof. Dudley's Examination.
Prof. Dudley in 1900 visited the mountain
lumber camps to study the trees, and OBJ
tanned the data by counting the concentric
rings of growth on the cross sections of the
felled trunks. The oldest SO examined had
begun it's existence 525 B. c., and although
Prof. Dudley was satisfied that extended
scrutiny would bring to light few older
trees, he does not expect to ind any over
three thousand years old. He has repeat
edly demonstrated that in the climate OF
the Pacific coast, with it's sharply marked
wet and dry seasons, there can be no ques-
ton that each annular ring of structure
seen in cross sections represents a years
growth, certainly in the Sequoia gigantea.
But Prof. Dudleys most interesting dis
covery related to the remarkable recupera-
tive power following an injury to these big
trees. He says:
Effects of Forest Fires.
1.-THE effects of certain tremendous forest
fires occurring centuries ago were regis
tered in the trunks of these trees and the
record completely concealed by subsequent
haa a
lar cases the most instructive record of
these ancient forest fires was observed in
tree of moderate size-about fifteen feet In
diameter-five feet from the ground. 1t
was 270 feet in height and 2,171 years old.
This tree when felled had an enormous
surface burn one side thirty feet in
height and occupying eighteen feet of the
circumference of the tree; this was found
to have been due to a fire occurring in
A d. 1897 The tree when cut in 1909, had
efforts to repair this injury, its method be-
ing the ingrowing of the new tissue from
each margin of the great black wound.
When the tree was cut the records of three
other fires We're revealed. The history or
the tree was follows:
''2I1 B. c. it began its existence.
''The first year of the Christian era il was
about four feet in diameter above the base.
''245 A. D., at SIC years of age, occurred
burning on the trunk TIL lee feet wide. One
hundred and five years were occupied in
covering this wound with new tissue. For
1 1856 years no further injuries were regis
tered.
'1441 A. D., at LIP years of age the tree
was burned a second time in two long
grooves one and two feet WIDE respectively.
Each had its own system of repair.
"One hundred and thirty-nne years of
growth followed, including the time occu-
pied by covering the wounds.
1880 A. D., at 1851 years of age. Oc-
CURED another fire, causing a burn on the
II rrriI -,.ixy
years to cover with new tissue.
Two hundred and seventeen years of
growth followed this burn.
'1197 A d., when the tree was 2.06S
years old a tremendous fire attacked it,
burning the great scar eighteen feet wide.
"One hundred and three years. between
1897 and 1900 had enabled the tree to re-
duce the exposed area of the burn to about
fourteen feet in width
1T is to be noted that in each of the
three older burns there was a thin cavity
occupied by the charcoal of the burned sur
face but the wounds were finally fully
covered and the new tissue above was full.
even, continuous and showed no sign of
distortion or of the old wound.
Wonderful Vitality Shown.
"The above details are given to show the
wonderful vitality and freedom from dis
ease and decay possessed by these trees.
If protected from fire and the lumberman
they would undoubtedly live to a much
greater age than at present and would
furnish the best living objects for scientific
study and measurement covering a long
period of years extending from one hui
man generation to another. These meas
urements would have a bearing on our
knowledge of the laws of growth as affect
ed by periods of varying climatic condi-
tons. II happens that the only measure
ments already made were made on the
Calaveras big trees thirty years ago by the
geological survey of California. 1t comes
near being crime not only to destroy OBJ
jects among the most interesting in the
world, but to throw away data useful to
the science of the future, will be done
If the Calaveras trees are felled
f. so long as these trees are not in the
hands of the United States or the people
of 1t they are not safe from destruction.
Railroads are now approaching them. Ma
chinery is In use quite adequate to the de-
struction of the largest trees, and the trees
will be cut by the lumbermen when 1t will
pay.
THE state of California does not at
tempt this purchase because 1t has recently
appropriated d90D 100000 for the pur-
chase of park for similar purposes name
ly, to preserve the Sequoia sempervirens
tthe coast range redwood). This park has
already been purchased, and by the act of
its legislature the state is bound to for
ever protect these trees for the benefit
of succeeding generations and the glory
of the commonwealth
THE citizens of the state are also rails
ing funds for the purchase of forest park
on Mount Tamalpais. adjacent to San Fran
CISCO California, with only lJe0O0o peo-
pie, has responded generously and as fully
as her resources will allow.
Why the Trees Should Be Spared.
''All the big trees (Sequoia gigantea) oc-
cupy the heart of the great forest belt of
The Sierra Nevada mountains and their
preservation is therefore important to
stream protection and to the irrigation
works contemplated for the San Joaquin
valley; nevertheless the unitarian plea is
not here entered in asking for the purchase
of the Calayeras groves. We ask 1t because
the species is unique--it is found in no
other country. no other state. nowhere but
in a portion of the Sierra Nevada range,
and hence it is appropriate 1t should be
under the control of the nation. We ask it
because the Calavefas trees are historically
by far the most interesting of the big
trees, because their preservation will af-
ford the highest and most innocent graft
fication to the thousands of people who
will visit them, and, lastly, we believe their
preservation will be most useful to the
scientific observer of the future In his work
on problems In the origin and history of