Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-14
CENSUS OF TREES
URGES SCIENTIST
TIMBER FAMINE NEAR Is HIS
PREDICTION
"PubIic Ownership and Administration
Only Means of Checking ,Devasta-
ton of Forests"-Box Manu-
facturers Hold Convention


WASHINGTON, Sept. 13-By invitation
SECRETARY THOMAS E. Will of the Ameri-
can Forestry association addressed tne
6fteenth semi-annual convention OF the
National Association of BOX Mahuiac
turers on August 2S, at the Hotel haaIer-
skill. in the Catskll, New YORK. on my
Anpalachian-Whi Mountain Nationa,
Forests" The attendance was eoou anu
the audience highly appreciatlVe.
Dr Will called attention first 10 our
70 nidIv disappearing wood supply, stat
ing that we are using wood three tunes
az fast as we are producing IT, tnat
wood famine is Fastening on IN SEVER
league boots, that the date OF lts ari t,sa.
cannot be definitely estimated, put 'na'
the United States census snoui ia;,, Wy +, T
| termining the amount of our visible I'LL
har aunnIv enable us to predict. VI our
| eo,,r Great forest areas, those OF new
Eno,ond the Great Lakes, the nortn-
west and the south, the hrst TWO az
practically gone; the other TWO are solns
fast. Our last remaining Important haru-
wood stock is found In the 1ores's VI 'he
south. .,.,,IF,on The
l,,,,nortant rivers of New England rise IN
| the white mountains: those Oh tne souen
riss In the southern Appalachians. On
| thase rivers enormously important DUST
nesses are conducted, largely by waler
,oter THE value of each form or power
denends upon equable stream flow. rms
~, t,,rn depends upon forests on noun
ta;r clones. The forests conserve the wa
ter supply and admit 1t gradually 10 the
rivers by underground circulation.
When the slopes are cut ana . pu,me
ever destructive floods follow, aiternaI
- With destructive droughts. lndisput-
NE evidence shows that the rivers, botn
of New England and the SOUTH are rap
id,v deteriorating to the serious detri-
| ment of all concerned.
Destroying Land
| Not only are we consuming the rorests
and destroying the rivers, put we are
| dastrovine the land itself. the conoltion
| ~ Death (Zealand) valley in the Wnlte
mountains bears eloquent testimony ~
this fact. There CHASTITY rocks marx the
snot once occupied by splendid forests'
1s,,,.trer cutting and burning forests on
fountain slopes are occasioning Terribly
dastructive landslides, whose ravages ma
t,,re alone could not repair in a dhousano
years. - how,
shows the only remedy to lie III pupiic
ownership and administration, certanIi!
| ~ FORESTS controlling stream How. inns
,o,,cv makes possible cutting the WOOD
while saving the woods. Through ~
Saxonv has Increased her wood crop 90
nav cent and Prussia 800 per cent. Ger
manv's Is. 600 900 acres of woodland large
| lv sand. swamp mountain slopes anu
| forests once damaged by reckless cut
ting now represent capltal Oh gov per
acre, yielding per cent interest," o"o
constantly improving.
| The secretary urged the box manuIac-
4 +urers to instruct their congressman Tor
| the Appalachian bill, to pass favorapia
resolutions and to join the American
Forestry association. They promptly oin
the latter, engaging to pay go year 70
the Forestry association, and indicated
| that they would do both OF the FORMER.
Timber Census
| Mr. 8. Kellogg of the United States
forest service also addressed the pox
manufacturers on August %. His theme
| was the Importance OF timber census
| ne the United States. He said that many
finds Of timber which we're formerly
| abundant were now becoming scarce and
hard to get; other kinds, while abundant
are rapidly going.
THE leading commercial organizations
| of the country have passed resolutions
asking that the government through the
bureau of census and the forest service
! take a census of stumpage. The box man.
| ufaCturerS themselves leu III thiS hiONS
nent Such resolutions have been passed
bv the slack cooperage manufacturers,
THE National Lumber Manufacturers as
| ISOLATION, the National Association OF
| Manufacturers and numerous others.
our total annual lumber cut is now
about 10000, 100000 feet. Our total annual
consumption of wood in all forms Is at
| least 100 OoO, 900, 900 board feet. Estimates
as TO the probable life of our wood sup
nIv in America under present policies
range from thirteen to thirty-three years.
We need definite knowledge, Including
| area of stumpage rate of growth and
rate of consumption A timber census is
! imneratively necessary. With the data
thus afforded the forest service will be
| aba to advise the wood users as to how
10 adjust their business to existing con-
| ditions.
Appalachian Reserve
Through the initiative of Mr.. William H.
Frothingham, the Virginia State Farmers
institute, in session at Roanoke on Au-
eust ID. unanimously passed strong reso-
buttons urging the establishment OF APP
naIachian national forests. Manufacture.
ers, lumbermen, box-men, cooperage men,
cotton mill men and many others have
passed such resolutions; 1t is interesting
to find the farmers aiding in this agi-
tation.
Again prophecy has become history On
August TO- Forester Ayres of New Hamp-