The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-01-12
Roosevelt's Appeal for Forestry.

ROosevelt's Appeal for Forestry.
To every student of forestry-to
every one who has discerned the ne
cessity of substituting rational meth
DDS in the handling of our timber re-
sources for the criminally wasteful
and destructive practices hitherto pre-
vailing-the familiarity shown by
President Roosevelt, in his address
before the American forestry congress,
with all the economical aspects of the
question is exceedingly encouraging.
The fact that a man so overloaded
with cares as our chief executive
should yet have found time to gain so
complete a mastery of the subject, the
enthusiasm which characterized his
utterances, and the determination he
expressed to work with, and only
with. the man who develops the coun-
try and "against the land skinner
every time,' are charged with happy
augury. IL
Not less significant was the charac-
ter of the assemblage he addressed
the first national, congress of the
friends of forestry. Those friends
have in times past been so few that
they have been able to muster only
scant attendance at local gatherings,
and a majority of the persons present
at these have been attracted more by
the sentimental than by the business
and economic aspects of forestry.
The few who had studied the latter
were looked upon as theorists merely:
they have only recently begun to win
over to their side the practical lum-
herman, the manufacturer, the rail
road magnate. But now numbers Of
these have gathered in convention with
the men of science and the preachers
of sentiment. They have found that
science and sentiment go hand in hand
with the highest economic interests of
the country in demanding that the
skinning of the land shall cease.
They discern, with President Roose-
welt, that unless this demand be com
piled with the great numbering, manu-
featuring and other interests depend
ent upon a supply of woodland in
whose behalf our forests have been
sacrificed by mistaken methods-must
disappear from the land under the
baleful scourge of a timber famine.
Recognizing the fact that without
the support of popular sentiment gov
ernmental action in behalf of forests
will be of little avail, the president in
vites all ''users of the forests" to get
together and cooperate with the gov
eminent in it's work of ablishing
forest reserves, introducing scientific
methods of numbering and reforesta-
ton, and so preserving our timber re-
sources. The response which individ-
uals make to this invitation will
largely determine whether they are to
be classed with the "skinners'' or the
developers of the country. The owner
Of timber tract, in whatever section
of the country he is found. is in a
sense on trial; be that owner state,
corporation or Individual. On the
one hand are presented the revelations
OF science and Of actual experience,
as to; the destructiveness and wicked
ness OF present methods of numbering
converting the country into waste,
drying up lakes and rivers, removing
resources essential to the ''building
up of civilization On the other
hand are shown the advantages OF
reformed methods-the perpetuation
of timber supplies, an annual instead
OF a momentary profit, the conserva-
ton of the rainfall, the preservation
of streams and of Natures glories in
tree-crowned hills. and slopes and
otherwise waste places. Should the
owner choose these better methods,
the government stands ready to co.
operate with him, furnishing expert in.
struction and assistance, at little III