The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-08
FOREST PLANTING
GROWS IN FAVOR
Coal and Railroad Companies
Are Interested
UTILIZING WASTE LANDS
BY Plan of Government Cooperation
Technical Forester Will Be Sent
Without Charge to Make Pre-
liminary Examination.

Washington, June 7.--(SpeciaL)-A va
riety of causes is awakening an interest
in the forest planting on lands owned
primarily for some other purpose than
the use of timber but capable of yielding
an added revenue from crops of trees.
Coal and railroad companies and other
large landowners. including water COM
panies, are taking active steps to utilize
waste lands in this way. The fact that
local supplies of railroad ties, mine limb
ers, and lumber are shrinking, coupled with
the realization that the needed timber can
well be produced on sail now unproduc-
tive, has made forcible appeal to the bus
mess mind. In Pennsylvania, especially,
large forest plantations are actually I'M
der way.
There are enormous areas in Pennsyl-
vania from which the original timber
has been cut, and which are too rough for
profitable farming. In the coal regions
both the farm lands and the mountainous
areas everything the coal veins are usually
held by the operating companies in order
that they may obtain full rights to the
coal underneath. Much of the land over
lying the coal Is useless for farming at
any time, and 1t has been found that
there is little profit to be derived from the
agricultural land by any system of ten
ant or company farming. Both these
classes of land may be planted to trees
with advantage and the timber used in
the mines, the old fields on which farming
has been attempted being particularly de-
sirable for planting. In the bituminous
coal fields it is necessary to select the
planting sites with great care so as to
avoid the sulphur fumes from coke ovens,
which are very destructive to Vegetation.
Watersheds owned to prevent further
denudation and the contamination of
streams and reservoirs rarely yield direct
returns to water companies, but if proper
ly planted their water-conserving power
would be increased, and at the same time
future revenue would be in prospect.
Waste lands in general throughout the
state can be improved and made produce
tive wholly or in part by forest planting.
Realized BY Several Companies.
The possibilities of forest planting have
been realized by several large companies,
which have applied to the Forest service
for assistance The service has made
planting pans for the II. c. Frick Coke
company and the keystone Coal and
Iron company, in Western Pennsylvania,
and is supervising planting and the es-
adjustment of forest nurseries this spring.
The Pennsylvania Railroad company has
secured the assistance of the service in
working up forest policy, and, in order
-. he on In ofnAe
they already own, a nursery Is being
started and planting begun along the
right of way and also on an important
watershed near Altoona, Pa The Johns
town Water company is receiving similar
assistance. In Eastern Pennsylvania the
Lehigh Coal and Navigation company has
applied for an examination of 36,O0O-acre
tract of the Monroe Water Supply COM
pany, in Monroe county, and the prelimi-
nary examination is under way.
Hard to Keep Out Fire.
Planting is feasible on most of these
lands, the greatest difficulty being to
keep out fire. Chestnut, red oak, hickory,
white, red, and Scotch pine, and
European larch are suitable species, the
selection depending on the character OF
the land the kind of timber desired.
BY the plan of government cooperation
a technical forester can be sent without
charge to make a preliminary examina-
ton of lands on which planting Is con-
templated This determines whether plant
ing is advisable. II the preliminary report
is favorable, a detailed plan for planting
and nursery work can be made at cost
to the owner of the actual expenses of
the work. Supervision can also be pro-
yided under special arrangement.
Detailed information and application
blanks for assistance of this KIND can be
secured by writing to the Forester, United
states Department of Agriculture, Wash
ington, d. c.