The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-11-21
more FOREST RESERVES
High Time to Push Refor-
estation of Our
Lands.
SCARCITY OF TIMBER
Serious Industrial Results
In Sight and More
to Come.
SCARCITY OF TIMBER

The proposal for national park on
the Hudson for the preservation or
the Highlands from Peekskill to Corn
wall, as set forth in the current Out
look, would carry, we believe, greater
weight had more stress been laid upon
the forest features of it. Romantic the
region is, and not without historic as
sociations; but so grave has become
the lumber situation, in this country
that, to our minds, there should be
no new national reservations created
which do not aim to stop or make
good the senseless deforestation OF our
lands. Never in the history of ma
tons has there been one more richly
blessed with natural resources than
our own, and never has country
been SO prodigal spendthrift. We
have treated Dur forests as we did our
buffalo. 1t has been a war of ex-
termination in either case; and now,
within forty years of the construction
of our first Pacific railway, we find
ourselves in danger Of as serious a
older countries Of Europe.
This is the deliberate opinion of Mr..
Pinohot, the chief forester as set forth
recently by our Washington CORE
spondent. Such measures az are being
taken at this late day to lock the sta
BILE door, cannot prevent the scarcity
which will DO upon us within twenty
five years but might have been pre-
vented had the government and CON
gress buol1led earlier to their work
| OF preservation. All that the for
esAry service can do now is to dimin-
ish the severity and duration of the
coming dearth until new growths un
der scientific forestry begin approx
imateiy to fill the demand At present
one-ffth of the wooded area Of the
United States is in government re-
serves whichare located in fifteer
Western States, Alaska and Porte
Rico That the lumber consumptior
of the country has increased NOR,
rapidly than our population is know
to all students Of the subject, and Il
to a considerable extent due to th,
destruction of forests for the maxim.
of woot~pulp paper. But, whateve
the causes, the astounding fact re
mains. that enough lumber has beef
cut since 1880 to make as our WASH
Iington correspondent pointed out,
one-inoi floor over an area Of $500
square miles.
| r,nfa 80 1Yr1aS1 n
of course, continue without serious in
dustrhl results. Leaving out alto
gether the indispensable need Of for
ests for water supply--the arguinen
which has heretofore carried mos
weight in obtaining reservations-th
recl1lessness Of our waste is bein
brought home everywhere by the ris
in the price OF lumber The railroad
are feeling II when they buy thei
railroad ties, and so are manufacturer
Of furniture, cooperage products, We
hicles and builders Of all kinds ]
they were aware that there is only fiji
teen years'supply Of hard wood nov
available for cutting their presen
anxiety would be far greater than
IS. They could not hitherto be ARGUS
ed by theoretical and sentimental ar
guments, but now that their pocket
are being affected, they are beginnin
to realize that them Is soniethin
more in this forestry nonsense" tina
they have hitherto admitted
The time Is, therefore, ripe for urg
ing the increase of our forest reserve
not only by the federal government bl
by the States as we'll. New York TO
instance, ought to assume jurisdiction
over the Lake George mountains aig
shores. That region is practically use
I less for farming purposes but for for
estry Is OF greater value than tn
newly proposed Hudson River park.
Michigan, a beginning has been mao
in the work Of preserving some tim
Der lands by the appointment OF
commission of nine to investigate tn
whole matter and report to the govern
lnor, But before the nation as
whole the all-important matter is tn
creation of g. national forest reserv
in the Appalachian and White MouI
tains. A bill authorizing the acquire
nent of the necessary territory pass
ed the senate, but failed in the hous
Congress hid, however, appropria
s25,O0D for q thorough examinatio
and survey and q definite plan is no.
ready for submission to congress whe
1t meets next month. Costly the pu
lchase of the necessary land indubita
bly, win be- especially in view Of tn
fact that the western reserves practi
, cally cost the government nothin
Nevertheless, the Appalachian reserv
| utns,I5 Y1n pt,hJ aov