The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-12-04

states; and yet SO rapid has been the
rate of exhaustion of timber in the
United States in the past, and so rapidly
Is the remainder being exhausted, that
me country is unquestionaby on the
verge of timber famine which will be
selt in every household in the land.
There has already been rise in the
price of lumber, but there is certain to be
more rapid and heavier rise in the fu-
.ure. The present annual consumption of
lumber is certainly three times as great
as the annual growth; and if the con-
sumption and growth continue UNI
changed, practically all our lumber will
be exhausted in another generation,
while long before the limit to complete
exhaustion is reached the growing
scarcity will make itself felt in many
ohghting ways upon our national well
-are. About 20 per cent. of our forested
territory is now reserved in national for
ests; but these do not include the most
valuable timber lands, and in any event
me proportion is too small to expect that
the reserves can accomplish more than
q mitigation of the trouble which is
ahead for the nation. Far more drastic
action is needed. Forests can be lum-
oered so as to give to the public the full
use OF their mercantile timber without
the slightest detriment to the forest, any
more than 1t Is detriment to a farm to
furnish a harvest; so that there is no
which can only be completely used by
exhaustion. But forests, if used as all
our forests have been used in the past
and as most of them are still used, will
be either wholly destroyed, or so dam
aged that many decades have to pass
before effective use can be made of them
again. All these facts are so obvious that
1T is extraordinary that it should be nee
essary to repeat them. Every business
man in the land, every writer in the
newspapers. every man or woman of an
ordinary school education, ought to be
able to see that immense quantities of
timber are used in the country, that the
forests which supply this timber are rap
IDLY being exhausted, and that if no
change takes place, exhaustion will come
comparatively soon, and that the effects
of it will be felt severely in the every
day life of our people. Surely, when
these facts are so obvious there should
be no delay in taking preventive meas
ures. Yet we seem as a nation to be
willing to proceed in this matter with
happy go-lucky Indifference even to the
Immediate future 1t is this attitude
which permits the self-interest of very
few persons to weigh more than the ul-
innate interest of all our people. There
are persons who find it to their immense
pecuniary benefit to destroy the forests
by numbering They are to be blamed
Tor thus sacrificing the future of the ma
ton as whole to their own self-interest
of the moment: but heavier blame at
taches to the people at large for permit
ting such action, whether in the White
mountains, in the southern Alleghenes,
or in the Rockies and Serras. A big
numbering company. impatient for imme-
date returns and not caring to look far
enough ahead, will often deliberately de-
.stroy all the good timber in a region,
hoping afterwards to move on to some
rt,xy tho clj 90
small means, who does not care to be-
come an actual home-maller. but would
like immediate profit. will find it to his
advantage to take up timber land sim
ply to turn it over to such a big COM
pany. and leave it valueless for future
settlers. big mine owner, anxious only
to develop his mine at the moment, will
care only to cut all the timber he wishes
without regard to the future--probably
not looking ahead to the condition of
the country when the forests are exhaust
ed any more than he does to the con-
dition when the mine is worked out.
Indifferent Public Opinion
Is Greatly to Blame.
I do not blame these men nearly as
much as blame the supine public opin-
ion. the indifferent public opinion.
which permits their action to go UNI
checked. OF course to check the waste
the part of the public the acceptance
of a temporary restriction in the lavish
use of the timber. in order to prevent
the total loss of this use in the future.
There are plenty of men in public and
private life who, actually advocate the
continuance of the present system of
unchecked and wasteful extravaganza.
using as an argument the fact that to
check it will of course mean interfer-
ence with the ease and comfort of GER
tain people who now get lumber at less
cost than they ought to pay at the ex-
pense of the future generations. Some
of these persons actually demand that
the present forest reserves be thrown
open to destruction. because, forsooth.
they think that thereby the price OF
lumber could be put down again for
two or three more years. Their atti-
tude is precisely like that of an agi-
tator protesting against the outlay of
money by farmers on manure and in
taking care of their farms generally.
Undoubtedly. if the average farmer
were content absolutely to ruin his
farm, he could for two or three years
avoid spending any money on it, and
yet make a good deal of money out of
it. But only savage would in his
private affairs, show such reckless dis
regard of the future; yet it is precisely
this reckless disregard of the future
which the opponents of the forestry
system are now endeavoring II get the
people of the United States to show.
The only trouble with the movement
for the preservation of our forests ID
that it has not gone nearly far enough
and was not begun soon enough. 1t is
a most fortunate thing. however. that
we began it when we did. We should
acquire in the Appalachian and White
mountain regions all the forest lands
that 1T is possible to acquire for the
use of the nation. These lands be-
cause they form national asset. are
as emphatically national as the rivers
which they feed. and which flow
through SO many states before they
reach the ocean.
Repeal of Tariff on
Wood Pulp Favored
There should be no tariff on any for
est product grown in this country; and
in especial. there should be no tariff
on wood pulp; due notice of the change
being of course given to those engaged
in the bushes so as to enable them tc
adjust themselves to the new condi-
tons. The repeal of the duty on wood
pulp should if possible be accompanied
NV an with CANADA that