The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-02-09
THE RISKS OF
nEFORESTATION
One of the Sources of Our
Wealth is the South's
Magnificent Forests.

the memory OF the present Senef-
alton when immense virgin for
ests were so common in this coun
try that any one who predicted
that the United States would ever
have to deal with the problem OF
deforestation would have been
laughed at. Yet the disappear
ance of the forests has already
become serious matter in many
parts of the country. and at the
rate at which the timber is being
cut it requires no abstruse calcu-
lations to foresee the time when
We viii have practically lost our
wealth-protiucing forests. and
timber will have to be imported.
Until within very few years
there was little to complain of on
the score of deforestation in the
South. but with the disappear
ance of the timber in the North
ern and Western states the at
tention of the saw millmen has
been diverted southwark, and
vast tracts of our splendid for
ests of pine, cypress, oak and
other woods have been absorbed.
At the rate at which the timber
tracts are being opened up it is
evident that the South, like other
parts of the country, will soon be
face to face with the problem of
deforestation.
If nothing more than the de-
struction of our wealth In timber
lands was involved the matter
would be bad enough, as that
wealth. once destroyed, cannot
easily, if ever, be renewed. There
are. however. other problems in
volved which merit consideration.
such, for instance, as the change
In climatic conditions, the de-
rangement of the rainfall, the
more rapid drainage of the coun-
try and its consequent diminished
fertility. Even the stage of
water in the rivers and the period
of floods have been Influenced by
deforestation, and those districts
where rainfall was formerly plen-
tiful and artificial irrigation I'M
necessary have now been COM
PEELED to irrigate or see their pro-
ductiveness dwindle away.
Where climatic and meteoro-
logical conditions have thus
changed it is more than probable
that other attributes of locality
will be altered. Thus such
splendidly healthful localities as
the ssozone" belt of st. Tamma-
ny and the delightful Mississippi
Coast may lose much of their at
tractveness and health-restoring
properties If the trees are cut
away to an extent that the entire
character of the district may be
altered.
There is, of course. a CONNER
cial problem involved in the de-
forestation of the land which can
not be entirely ignored. The
timber lands are bought by syn
dicates for thesexpress purpose of
securing the timber thereon, and
that timber is undoubtedly need
ed, and finds ready market at
constantly advancing prices. In
the present condition of things it
would be inpracticable to expect
that the cutting of trees for the
timber that they furnish will
cease. but it would certainly ap-
pear to be wise policy to provide
for the future and to regulate the
number and character of the trees
removed and to take steps to
plant young trees that may in
time provide fresh timber and re-
store to the land in a measure the
characteristics of which it is being
robbed by deforestation.
That this problem is receiving.
more attention than it did form
erly is shown BY the constant
growth Of the practice of appoint
mo a certain flav "A rhnr nov >,