New-York tribune., 1907-12-15
FOUR MILLION TREES,
Santa Claus Getting Ready for the
YOUNGSTERS of America.
from The Tribune Bureau.l


Washington, Dec H.-Santa Claus has oroefed
four million Christmas for the boys ana girls
of the country this Christmas. According 10 'Io
Jolly old saints figures which he showed in CONN
dence 10 Uncle Sam. and Uncle Sam. also In confi-
dence referred to Clifford Pinchot, United States
Forester one Christmas will go 20 every
fourth family the Republic. If planted four feet
apart all these could be grown on lar'h
OF 1.4o0 acres.
Although one would think that the chopping
down OF four million trees every year would IN
time have n disastrous effect on the lumber supply
Mr.. PinchOt does not regard tho matter as AT an
serious Perhaps Uncle Sam told him that MS
friend Kris Kringle just had 20 have those trees
every year for the good little children, and that
II he wanted TO his trees from the woods
mans axe he had better save them in some other
way than cutting off the supply OF Christmas trees
good many people do not look at the matter IN
that hight and the Forester's mali has for the last
few weeks been overloaded with letters from
writers all the country. who ask him TO stop
the wasteful of evergreens for the Christmas
season. Many other people have called on him IN
person to protest against what they believe 10 be
national extravaganza. and II has been no small
task 10 persuade these well intentioned visitors
that they have got hold of mistaken notion.
81 have thought good deal about this Christ
mas tree matter" the Forester said to-day. and
have finally reached this conclusion: Trees for
use There is no other which these trees
could be put which would contribute so much to
the happiness and good of mankind as their use
for the children and family Christmas Day So
far as endangerng the life OF forests Is
concerned, the effect is infnitesmal, compared
with the destruction caused by forest fires and
wasteful numbering. Trees suitable for Christmas
trees do not grow in the old forests. where repro
duction is most important. but in the open. Even
If serious denudation threatened. the proper
remedy would not be to stop using the trees. but
to adopt wiser methods There is reason
for outcry against using land to grow Christ
mas trees than TO grow flowers"
While upholding the custom, the governments
foresters recognize that indiscriminate cropping OF
evergreenS for Christmas trees has many Sec
tons produced bad effect the timber supply
| OF number of merchantabe species. Americans
have been wasteful in cutting Christmas trees
they have in their search for other forest prod
| ucts and foresteFs say that harm may always be
expected when the woodlands not under proper
| management.
That the of Christmas trees is perfectly COM
| patible with the welfare of the forest is fully
proved in Germany, where. with a highly developed
forest policy. the per capita consumption of Christ
mas trees is greatest. The cutting of small trees
for Christmas is not there considered in the least
| as menace TO the forest. but, the contrary,
| as OF improving it. There is scarcely a
hut in Germany that has not a Christmas tree.
Practically all conifers be and are used as
Christmas trees in this country but the most pop
ular ones are the frs, spruces pines and cedars.
The pines in great demand for Christmas trees
where fir and spruce are not available are TO
had only at a high price. Throughout MARYLAND
1 Virginia nil
1 and, to q smaller extent, the cedar supply the
| demand. The fir is abundant in Colorado but II
grows In high inaccessible places and therefore
the Douglas spruce and the lodgepole pines are
more often used. The iodgepole pine is also popu-
lar in Wyoming and other Rocky Mountain states
In California 1t IS not uncommon to find the in
| cense cedar and young Coast redwoods used as
Christmas trees.
The wholesale of spruce for Christmas trees
| in sections is less questionable In
| q act hat is hast
ly used wood for the manufacture of pulp for white
| paper. The heavy inroads the country's spruce
forests of vital interest the publishers of the
country and, In order to the valuable re-
sources Of these forests, President Roosevelt has
recommended that the tariff be taken off of wood
pulp coming into the United States providing that
Canada agrees that there should be export duty
| on pulp wood The cutting of great numbers of
young spruce for Christmas tree uss will in tho
course OF years have at least slight effect on the
future supply Of pulp wood and farmers and other
| land owners do much to preserve the remaining
stands of spruce for better If they will use the
less valuable species of trees at this season. leaving
the spruce to mature and become available for the
| manufacture OF pulp. Foresters consider II most
fortunate that FIR is a more popular species for
Christmas than spruce because the wood of the fir
| Is not valuable
| the big cities OF the East New York Cftv and
| the New England States consume l50oo ooo trees
4 nearly half the output. Maine. New Hampshire
1 the Berkshire Hills In Massachusetts, the Adiron
dacks and the Catsks in New York arc tho
sources of supply for Boston, New York and pb,,a
delpha. and even for Baltimore and Wasbington
The swamps OF Michigan. Wisconsin and Mime
| sofa furnish the markets of Chicago ST pauI
Minneapolis and Detroit. Throughout Illinois and
Ohio nurserymen supply the local demand with
nursery grown Norway spruce.
Tho sizes Of Christmas trees vary from ava 70
thirty-dve feet but the popular heights are ava.