The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-03-01
WOODLAND AND TIMBER.
Part That Forests Play and Imuor-
lance or Their Preservation.

made most interesting and impressive
address before the Senate Finance Com
mittee on the subject of his Forestry
bill. The Garrett Senator is not only
student, but he is a man who lives out
of doors. His profession of OWL en-
gineer carries him into the woods and
mountains, and he has seen the devasta-
ton of the timber in Garrett county,
West Virginia and elsewhere, and is
deeply impressed with the importance
of saving at least remnant. In his
talk to the committee Mr.. Brown said:
'The lumber manufacturing plants in
the United States exceed $4,000, and
/ the annual output is estimated in excess
of $4,000, 900, 600 feet board measure.
Our railroads alone, it is estimated, con-
sumo annually not far short of 8,OOO,-
600, 900 feet of timber, which represents
the product of nearly 1000 900 acres of
average forest land.
The province of forestry is to study
into all phases of the subject. First,
/ the uses, demands and consumption
made upon our forests, then knowing
these requirements to go to work intel
/ llgently to meet these demands, so that
our forests can be made to yield their
/ increase. The forester studies the soil
and climatic conditions, finds out what
/ species of trees are best adapted to
particular locality, and will make the
most rapid and profitable growth on any
particular tract Of land. By cutting a
section from any tree and counting the
rings of annual growth we can tell the
age of the tree, and with the diameter
of the tree known, make close esti-
mate Of the length of time when any
tree of that species will attain fixed
size and its probable market value; or,
by counting the trees, give the value an
acre. He is thus of practical value to
the lumberman and to privats owners of
forest lands.
''The railroads of the United States
consume naturally 100000, 900 cross
ties for replacement of old ties and
about 20,000,O0O ties for new lines. This
represents consumption of nearly
1900, 000,0 900 feet of lumber, or 500, 900
acres of forest. This is but one-half
the total used by the railroad, for, in
addition, there are buildings, platforms,
telegraph poles, fence posts, bridges
and cars and the thousand and one other
uses for which wood is necessary.
That this enormous demand for wood
is affecting the supply is proved by the
rapid rise in the value of timber and
timber lands. One illustration can be
given in the statement of the forester
on the Biltmore estate in North Caro-
lima. In 1896 white oak sold for so
cents a thousand feet in the tree, in
1898 it was $1,25, in 1903 1925, and in
1904 the same class of timber brought
S.; and this is not an exceptional case.
Some of the railroads have gone to
work to meet their future wants by
planting trees. Mr. Richards an en-
gineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
reports that his company has already
planted nearly 100000 yellow locust
trees upon land owned by the company
and expect to increase the number to
more than 100000 trees.
''The forest, with its dense foliage
and carpet of moss and ferns, acts as a
reservoir to store up and regulate the
moisture, which comes in the form of
rain. Springs are the children of the
forest, and as they unite into brooks,
streams and rivers those are of most
service to man which are most regular
in their flow and volume, and these con-
ditions are directly influenced by the
forest.
France has law which provides
that if the owner of mountain lands will
not reforest when the timber has been
removed, the state shall take posses
sion and plant trees for the general good
of the nation. Seventeen States have
some form Of forestry board, and %
States forestry associations have been
formed to advance this all-important
work, important alike to climate, health
and beauty; to agriculture, manufac-
ture, railroads, mines, builders and the
press.
Our State forests are fast disap-
pearing. Let us then not wait until we
awake to feel the pressure of necessity,
but act now, and put Maryland in the
line OF progress and ultimate success in
the all-important field of forest cul-
ture.
Governor Dawson In Town.