The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-23
CHRISTMAS TREE sPOLTATION.
A Lumoermnn Takes Issue with Forester
Pinchot About ITS Delns a Small Matter.

To THE EDITOR OF TIVE SUN-Sir: In a
recent issue OF TUE sun MIR. Clifford Plnchot.
the United States Forester. IN quoted as say
Ing that 1t is estimated that 1000. 900 Christ
mas trees arc used in this country each year.
and that there is no more reason for an cutlery
against using land to grow Christmas trees.
than to grow Bowers"
No ono can possibly object TO the use OF
LAND for the production OF Christmas trees
and I do not understan nd that cny one ever has
objected to IL. 1t seems to me that the BUSH
ness. Rnder favorable conditions. would prove
both pleasant and profitable. But Mr..
PinOhot has overlooked the fact that the use
OF trees for this purpose has almost Rnnihi-
lated the supply OF spruce for pulpwood. par
ticularly In the West. wher1 the manuEactur-
ers Of print paper are now compelled to buy
their raw material In the Canadian provinces
by the cord and haul It by rail 70 their mills.
II IL had been che custom during the last
ten years to set aside each year the ECO
acres OF hnd' suggested by Mr.. PInchst and
20 plant thereon the 1000, 600 young trees re-
CURED for each years Christmas supply
present conditions would not exiAt: but that
has not been done. and practically all OF the
surreptitiously from widely scattered growths
by people who have no interest Whatever In
preserving. or perpetuatlng them. and In CON-
sequence the supply OF spruce for pulpwood
and lumber is exhausted In Wisconsin. Minne-
Mr.. Plnchot also says that the use of S.Oco.-
900. trees for Christmas each year 10 utterly
insignificant when compared to the other
four great drains" on the spruce growth that
know anything about. namely: nre. wind.
Nearly all Of the spruce Is a swamp rowth
where the ground is wet the year round, and
since the pine which once surrounded these
from IRE. The loss by wind H. unimpOrtant.
for the cedar. tamarack and balsam which
wSiEDGbTssR, fRsTss osn be a great grey tsdd DRAIN
by the lumber or PULP mill people because the
remaining spruce Z altogether too smslI for
is the Christmas tree thief. who enters the
swamps in the fall q the year and cuts and
the small trees but the larger one an well,
and Of the larger ones he takes only the tops
n Mr. inchot is correct in saying that there
are 1000 900 Christmas trees required. each
year to meet the present demand and that
only I 400 acres OF land are sufficient to sup
ply that number" H. would be necessary, 81
course. to provide a plantation for each years
Of favorable soil and climate to produce a
tree or the character demanded, il can readily
he, seen that COnsid cradle land and consider
able intelligence and capital will be needed in
the business.
Thu far there is no Indication that any one.
matter much thought. for surely the preser-
walton Of the raw. material upon which the
paper IL Of vastly more Importance to the
general public than the two or three days use
scarce and valuable forest product. and espe-
rally when IL is so easy to produce n salts
factory substitute out Of non-infammahle
materials. In the face of an advance in cost
during tho last three years from ~. so n cord
to 80 q cord for spruce FOR ~pulpwood, not
because OF any corner In spruce but because
Of actual scarcity. il seems to me not unrea-
son9ble TO expect from the forestry bureau az
Washington (which is supposed to be above
political considerations a suggestion that the
Christmas tree industry IL continued along
present lines Ia apt to still further increase the
cost OF our morning and evening newspapers.
ST. CRoIx.